Driven
by The Silent Scream
Summary: Stuck in a loveless, arranged marriage, Michiru Kaioh slowly finds herself resigning to a life of unhappiness, unable to find joy even with all her riches - until her new driver comes into her life, and everything begins to change. AU.
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note: The first two parts of this were originally written for the HaruMichi Tumblr Circle same prompt fic party, and I figured I might post it here, as well :) I had a lot of fun writing this, so I hope you'll have fun reading it, too :D

Driven

Sometimes, Michiru Kaioh found herself wondering if deep inside, everyone she knew was as unsatisfied and bored with their lives as she often was; of course though, this wasn't a question she ever could ask anyone, not with anyone she'd consider close enough in her life for such deep, meaningful topics.

Her husband, at least, didn't seem bored, with his high-paying job and what he called his circle of friends; she wondered if they really were his friends, or if they were more like acquaintances, like the women she spent her free time with – all of them women like her, from families with well-known names, families with money, and not a care in the world.

 _Well, not a care in the world, except for hating their lives_ , she thought to herself somewhat bitterly as she mechanically went through her morning routine, taming and brushing her hair, applying make-up, _but I can hardly ask them that, can I. Excuse me, Hitomi, are you as unhappy as I am?_

She let out a small sigh as she finished with the make-up and got up from her seat in front of the large vanity mirror; as every morning, she made her way to the dining room next, where breakfast and her husband were waiting, the latter as always reading the newspaper, barely glancing up when she entered.

"Good morning", her husband greeted her after his momentary glance at her, "did you have a nice night?"

"Yes, thank you", she replied, not even bothering anymore to fake the affection, as she had done in the beginning; and she thought that secretly, he was glad about this, having been strong-armed by his parents into the marriage as hers had done to her, the easiest solution their families had come up with to keep the rumours about them down to a minimum.

"You?" she asked, more to be polite than out of real interest, while she sat down and the housekeeper came scurrying over with her morning tea; her husband reassured her that he had slept well, then lowered his newspaper to look at her at last as he asked her what her plans for the day were.

"Nothing special", she gave back with a small shrug, briefly glancing at the housekeeper and nodding in acknowledgement when the elder woman put down the small pot of tea, a cup and her breakfast plate, "a meeting with a few lady friends, and after this, a stop at the gallery downtown which wants to display some of my paintings."

"Ah", the young man let out in response, even though he did smile a bit at the mention of the gallery, "how pleasant. Well, I wish you a nice day, then – feel free to use the limousine, I won't be needing it today."

"Yes, thank you", Michiru nodded, making him give her another brief smile before he picked up his newspaper again, his next words coming almost as an afterthought and not surprising her at all. "Oh, and I might not be home tonight. You'll have the house to yourself."

She just nodded again, even though he couldn't see it, hidden behind the newspaper as he was; this wasn't the first time that he wouldn't come home for the night, and she it wouldn't be the last, but she couldn't care less, well aware of what he was doing during those nights he left her alone, but not caring much about that, either.

They didn't speak about anything else as they both had breakfast, finishing their food and drink in silence; and after her husband had left for work, Michiru was left to her own devices, as she so often was in this loveless marriage, keeping herself busy with working on her newest painting until the time to leave for the meeting with some of the other women of her circles finally arrived.

She didn't often take the limousine, since her husband usually used it to go to work and, from there, to the various meetings he seemed to spend most of his time at; usually, when she did have to go somewhere, they had a second, smaller car, with a chauffeur of course, and even though it didn't exactly make her happy, it did give her a strange sense of satisfaction that she'd be taking the much more luxurious and much bigger car this day.

Briefly, she wondered if this was the start of getting resigned to this empty life, that this strange, almost content feeling about something so meaningless was the first step of many to becoming like her mother and the friends of her mother she had met; the mere thought made her shudder, and she pushed it aside rigorously as she descended the steps to the front hall, telling herself that surely, this wasn't happening to her, that she wasn't turning into an unhappy, empty shell of a person, who's only purpose in life seemed to be criticizing others and making sure that everything and everyone in their immediate vicinity was looking and acting just as they wanted them to.

Instead of pondering this dreadful possibility, Michiru tried to occupy her mind otherwise, by thinking of the driver her husband had hired for the limousine; an elderly gentleman, she remembered something about an agency actually employing the man instead of her husband, tax reasons, she thought he had said when they had had one of their few talks which lasted longer than two minutes, but the driver's name just wouldn't come to her, no matter how hard she tried to…

The butler opened the front door as she reached it, and her train of thought didn't just trail off, but simply stopped; later, she'd wonder if she actually had been gaping, and if the butler had noticed anything, remembering how her steps had faltered just for a second and how her eyes had gone wide while her heart had performed an almost painful skip in her chest.

Standing next to the sleek black limousine, in the just as black uniform all chauffeurs wore, was the most handsome woman she had ever seen.

Many, she realized as she took a closer look, somehow managing to walk down the stairs without stumbling as she just couldn't glance away and mind where she was going, would have mistaken her for a man; she wasn't one of those though, she knew immediately that this was no guy, her heart deciding to skip yet another beat when the woman gave her a smile, then spoke up the moment Michiru was close enough to hear her, her voice surprisingly deep for a woman, the somewhat husky sound sending shivers up and down her spine.

"Ms Kaioh, I presume", she more stated than asked, already moving to the limousine's rear door to open it, "I'll be your driver for today. Haruka Tenoh."

For a second, she wondered what had happened to the other one, the older guy who usually drove the limousine; then, she shrugged it off, telling herself it wasn't important, and just nodded, noting further details about this new driver at the closer look she got at her now, and filing them all away for later.

How tall she was, that was the first thing Michiru noticed as she stood next to her, almost a full head taller than her, the driver's cap which sat on slightly tousled blonde hair angled so that it was just the tiniest bit jaunty, but not so much that it would have gone against the dress code; and another, closer look revealed that the black suit didn't set as well as she had fought at first glance, the sleeves just an inch too short, the buttons just a hint too tight around her upper body.

Realizing that she was staring, Michiru quickly forced her gaze away, focusing on getting into the car instead, not wanting to embarrass herself by bumping her head against the frame; and even though the suit didn't sit just perfectly, the way it was supposed to, Haruka apparently knew what she was doing, closing the door neither too early, nor too late, but exactly the moment Michiru had gotten comfortable in the spacy back of the limousine.

"Where to, Ma'am?" she then asked, as soon as she had gotten into the driver's seat; for a moment, Michiru was drawing a blank, so thrown out of balance by this unexpected new person that she had no idea why she had wanted the limo in the first place.

"…Koniwara Café", she finally remembered, feeling incredibly dumb, but figuring that the pause hadn't been long enough to make Haruka notice anything; if she had, the blonde didn't let it show, merely nodding before she started the engine, demonstrating that, even though her suit didn't fit perfectly, she knew perfectly well how to drive this kind of car, the large vehicle getting moving without a hitch.

For a while, there was silence, Michiru looking out of the window as she took slow, controlled breaths, eager to get herself back under control; she tried to remember when it had been the last time that she had reacted so strongly to a woman and couldn't, almost grimacing as she thought back to how her heart had skipped a beat when she had seen the tall blonde for the first time.

"What happened to the other driver", she finally was the one to break the silence, not out of real interest for the elder man who had driven the limousine before, but mostly because she wanted to hear Haruka's voice again; to her dismay, the blonde kept her answer short, a shrug preceding the few words she uttered in response. "I don't know, Ma'am."

"Oh", she let out, not all too smart, noticing how just for a second, Haruka's eyes flickered up to the rear view mirror, then focused on the road again; not sure what else to say or ask, Michiru stared out the window again, somewhat bitterly asking herself why she all of a sudden had such a problem with making pleasant conversation – after all, the ability to do just that had been instilled into her from the moment on she had uttered her first word, and here she sat now, drawing a completely blank as she tried to figure out what else to say.

 _Well, the topics of conversation are hardly useful for situations like this one, are they,_ she thought to herself, holding back yet another grimace, after all, _you can hardly ask her the trite things you ask your acquaintances. You could inquire why her suit doesn't fit just right… no, wait, what are you thinking, that would be rude._

Instead of asking about the slightly ill-fitting suit, Michiru started fiddling with the music player built into the limousine's roof; to her relief, it was set to a station playing classical music – one of the few things her husband and she had in common – and shortly afterwards, soft violins broke the silence, making her feel much less awkward about the situation, a relief which didn't last long though as now, she found herself wondering if Haruka felt the same or if she hadn't noticed Michiru's reaction to her at all.

 _Probably not_ , she unhappily admitted to herself, _she doesn't know you at all, and you weren't that obvious. You were taught not to be._

Her gaze moved to what she could see of the back of Haruka's head again – which arguably wasn't much, thanks to the headrest of the driver's seat – and she allowed herself to entertain a much more pleasing thought, pondering what it would feel like to run her fingers through that tousled blonde hair, preferably while deeply kissing said hair's owner.

Feeling her cheeks heat up, she was relieved that Haruka could see even less of her; the last thing she needed was the blonde noticing her blush, figuring that, even if Haruka didn't know her at all, she would notice that this surely wasn't a regular occurrence for her, and might ask her if she was alright.

 _And what would you tell her then_ , she thought to herself, still staring at the back of the taller woman's head, _that you are perfectly fine, but fantasize about kissing her? Yes, that would surely go over well._

Forcing herself to look away before the driver might notice something after all, she glanced out the window again – just in time, she noted, to see the café where she'd meet the other women appear, a sudden crazy urge to tell Haruka that she should keep driving overcoming her, an impulse she fought down with all of her willpower.

"We're here", Haruka needlessly told her, making her nod in acknowledgement, before she realized that the blonde couldn't see the gesture unless she'd happen to look in the rear view mirror; she let out a vaguely agreeing noise instead, and in response, the taller woman got out of the limousine and moved to open the rear door for her, forcing her to hold back a sigh of regret as she got out of the car.

"Try to find a parking space somewhere nearby", she then instructed the driver, making sure that none of her emotions were showing through her voice, to her slight relief managing to sound detached and distanced, "and be back here in ninety minutes."

"Certainly", Haruka gave back at once, making her wonder if, despite the not perfectly fitting suite, she had done this before, and for whom she had been driving; as she walked away from the limousine and to the café's entrance, she figured that it couldn't have been any of the women she knew – after all, they all were notorious about commenting on the looks and physique of their staff, and surely, one of them would have mentioned having a driver as handsome as Haruka, or would have been incredulous about having a driver who looked like a handsome male and then turned out to be female.

"Michiru!" she heard a chorus of voices cry out upon her entrance, and forced a bright smile which felt way too fake to curl her lips; the other women all smiled back at her just as brightly, and once again, she wondered if deep inside, she was the only one of her peers who felt so empty and unfulfilled – or if they all felt this way, and, just like her, had no one close enough to admit it to.  
[line]

Somehow, Michiru made it through the ninety minutes of socializing – or _networking_ , as her husband called it – without letting it show how much it annoyed her to be there and listen to the mindless gossip of the other women; as always, she didn't participate much, only smiled politely at the right places and nodded every now and then, but by now, the others were used to this from her, and she figured that no one would see it as odd anymore.

She instantly felt better though the moment she stepped out of the café and saw not only the limousine right in front of, ready and waiting for her, but Haruka standing next to it; without even noticing it fully, she started to smile, only for her smile to fade again when one of the other girls spoke up right behind her.

"My, Michiru", she commented, shamelessly giving Haruka the once-over, the blonde not letting it show if she noticed, "how handsome. You didn't mention that you have a new driver. If my driver was as handsome as this, I'd never get out of the car."

Briefly, Michiru entertained the thought of telling her that Haruka was female, then decided against it and merely shrugged and smiled; the other girl threw another longing look at the blonde, then apparently remembered that she was married, since she cleared her throat and ran a nervous hand through her hair, giggling in an annoyingly high-pitched way which grated on Michiru's nerves and made her smile waver slightly around the edges.

"Well", she said, before her dismay could break through to the surface, "this was very… nice. I'll see you girls next week."

They all let out various sounds of agreement, and she made herself smile at them again before she turned and walked over to the limousine, the smile dropping from her face the moment her back was to the girls; clearly, this was something Haruka had noticed, since she briefly raised an eyebrow, just long enough for Michiru to see.

Being a tactful driver though, she made no comment, but merely held the rear door open for her; after a brief glance at her, another chance to take in how handsome the taller woman was, Michiru got into the car, getting comfortable in the back, realizing that it wasn't time to go the gallery yet as she sunk into the soft leather seat, but not having an idea where else she could go, either.

"Where to now, Ma'am?" Haruka, without realizing it, forced her to make a decision even faster; she opened her mouth to tell her that she should take her back to the mansion for now, surprised at the words which came from her instead. "To the pier."

The blonde nodded in response, then stepped down on the gas pedal; the car smoothly got moving, the low purr of the engine barely audible, and soon drowned out completely when Michiru switched on some music again, looking out the window once more, asking herself why she had told the blonde to take her to the pier instead of back home.

 _Because there's no use in going back home, to an empty house_ , she then thought to herself, somewhat bitterly, _while your husband is out doing God knows what – or whom._

Once again, she asked herself why she had let her parents bully her into this marriage, just so their name wouldn't be tarnished – their precious name, big and well known enough that she hadn't even changed it after getting married; she always had seen herself as stronger than this, but when both her mother and father had started to put pressure on her, she had given in at last, just to make the daily talks about the subject stop.

Not wanting to ponder these unpleasant memories any further, she rigorously cut them off, relieved when the pier appeared up ahead; the sight of the ocean always soothed her, always had and probably always would, for reasons she wasn't quite sure of.

Her relief only grew when Haruka found a parking spot for the oversized car fairly quickly; she killed the engine, then got out of the vehicle, holding the door open for the smaller woman, Michiru surprising herself yet again when she, after she had gotten out of the car and stood upright next to it, asked the taller woman to walk with her.

Clearly, Haruka was just as surprised about this request, her eyebrows rising; she didn't decline it though, making Michiru wonder if she just didn't dare to because it was her first day at this new job, or if perhaps, she thought of her as interesting as well, a thought she cut off rigorously though, telling herself that surely, this wasn't the case.

"You might want to take off that cap", she added, earning another raised eyebrow, "the weather is quite warm, I wouldn't want you to suffer from heatstroke."

"Um, sure", the blonde gave back after a moment, removing the cap and, to Michiru's delight, giving her a better view of her hair; once again, she found herself wondering what it would be like to run her hands through the tousled strands, and once again she was forced to harshly stop that train of thought, before it might make her blush yet again.

Without another word, not sure if she could trust her voice, she started walking, scolding herself for reacting to strongly to this woman; until this day, she had been sure that she had herself and her urges under control – she did enjoy looking at handsome women, and permitted herself her fantasies, but, unlike her husband, she hadn't acted on her desires since she had gotten married.

 _Well, you should_ , she then told herself, while Haruka fell in step next to her, her long legs making it easy for her to keep up with the smaller woman, _your husband does, and as long as you're discreet, why should you be faithful when he isn't?_

"Have you been doing this job for long?" she asked, suddenly eager to break the silence, "driving other people around?"

"Not for this agency, no", the blonde let her know, briefly glancing at her before her gaze focused on the sidewalk up ahead again, mostly to avoid bumping into anyone, "for another one. Not quite as… high-class. They mostly rented their limos out for people who wanted to celebrate something, so you can imagine how they behaved."

"Indeed", Michiru replied with a small grimace – she never had been among those who used limousines that way, but her parents' driver had had the displeasure of driving such a group before he'd started working for them, and had had a fair share of tales to tell, none of them humorous or even pleasant.

"I imagine you are better off now, then", she added, "my husband and I are… quite easy clients. You'll mostly drive him around, to work and back, and to his appointments during the day."

"I was told so, yes", the taller woman let her know, not really surprising her as she figured that surely, an agency catering to people as well off as her husband and she were would inform their drivers what to expect, "so I have to admit, I was pleasantly surprised when my first drive was with you."

At hearing this certain wording, Michiru's heart skipped a beat yet again; she smiled at the blonde, experiencing yet another frightening pause of her heart rate when Haruka smiled back at her, the way the smile lit up her face only making her look even more handsome.

"Lucky you, then", she said out loud, once more cursing herself for the fact that she only knew how to do the mindless chit-chat she shared with her acquaintances, and had no idea how to bring the talk to deeper topics than those, convinced that what she talked about to her friends wouldn't interest Haruka much, "but I can reassure you, my husband is just as easily to handle as I am. We're not very demanding, unlike some other people I know."

"I've heard the stories", Haruka let her know in response, now sounding slightly amused, the smile which had been curling her lips turning into a somewhat sardonic smirk, "so I was quite relieved when I was told that you are not like these people."

Not sure what to reply to this, Michiru just smiled at her, then stopped and turned to look at the ocean; as always, the sight of the clear water, glittering in the sunlight, and the gentle waves soothed her, for a few minutes even allowed her to forget how unhappy she was with basically everything in her life.

"It's beautiful, isn't it", she said out loud, once more pushing those thoughts aside, even ignoring the nagging voice in the back of her mind which told her that she wouldn't be able to do this forever, "I've always enjoyed being at the ocean, ever since I was little."

"It is very pretty", Haruka agreed, and even though Michiru could tell at once that the effect the sight had on the blonde wasn't quite as the strong as what it did to her, she smiled again, not minding; she looked at the ocean for another moment, letting it soothe her inner turmoil, then finally turned away again, her voice surprisingly steady when she told the driver that she was ready to go to the gallery now.

The only response was a brief nod from the taller woman, and after another, short and slightly longing look at the ocean, Michiru got moving, trying to remember the last time she hadn't just looked at the water, but actually had taken a swim – and when she realized that she couldn't remember, all her despair came crashing back down on her, clenching up her heart as she asked herself how much longer she had to go on like this and if this was all she could expect from her life.


	2. Chapter 2

During the next week, her husband used the limousine every day, to her dismay keeping her from seeing more of Haruka than brief glimpsed she managed to catch when she stood waiting for the young man; and for the first time since she had married him, she truly resented her husband, something she never showed him though, as polite and friendly with him as always.

Finally though, her husband decided to have yet another one of his nights out, letting her know that, if she had to go somewhere, she could have the limousine this weekend; she just nodded, yet again not commenting on how he might spend the oncoming night, just glad that at last, she'd have the chance to spend time with Haruka once more.

Hiding well how giddy this was making her feel – if her parents and her marriage had taught her one thing, it was how to hide her feelings – she told the housekeeper that she wanted the limousine ready for ten the moment her husband had left the house; the elder woman reassured her it would be done, then scurried off to do her job, leaving Michiru with almost an hour to kill.

 _Well, you can use that time to figure out where you want to go_ , she told herself, _after all, you can hardly tell her to simply drive you around town for no reason. She'd do it, for sure, but she might think it's strange, and I really don't want her to think of me as strange._

Figuring that painting always helped her to free her mind and to think, she moved to her atelier, where her current work in progress was waiting on the easel; anyone else might have changed into clothing which did not cost more than other people earned a year, but she never even though of this – she had stopped getting paint onto her clothing when she had been seven, after a few ruined blouses and the stern talking-to's from her parents she'd received for each one the housekeeper hadn't been able to rescue.

As always, she felt much better and calmer the second she picked up the brush; she even began humming to herself a little after the first few carefully placed strokes, something she never did outside her atelier, and something which thus nobody else ever had heard – not even her parents, as she already had kept this from them when she still had been a child.

And as she painted, with her mind at ease, she realized where she could ask Haruka to take her – the gallery which would display some of her paintings soon wanted to meet her once more to settle the final details of the exhibition, and even though they hadn't made an appointment for this certain day, Michiru figured that her name and status would allow her to just drop in unannounced, a small smile curling her lips as she remembered how the owner practically had fallen over herself just to make sure Michiru would show her paintings there.

The way the gallery owner had acted towards her had left her quite sure that she would have been just as happy to show her to her bedroom, back at her home; since the slightly elder woman, with her feminine glory, hadn't been her type at all, she politely had ignored the subtle hints, until the other woman had given up and had focused fully on the business at hand.

 _Now, if Haruka dropped such hints, on the other hand…_ she then pondered, only to shake her head moments later – even if Haruka might be interested in her that way, she surely wouldn't make the first move, the artist figuring her to be smart enough to know that it could cost her the job if she'd try to hit on her boss and end up rejected.

 _No_ , she told herself, another careful, slow stroke of the brush accompanying and underlining the thought, _if you want to… start something with her, you have to make the first move._

Part of her realized how badly this might go, and that, if Haruka wasn't interested in her that way, it might make the blonde working for her husband and her very awkward in the future; and even if the taller woman was interested in her, Michiru knew that it could end badly, and that an unhappy ending would lead to an awkward situation, as well.

 _Don't think like that_ , she then told herself strictly, glancing at the clock on the wall and feeling surprised when she saw that it almost ten, not having realized how fast time had passed as she had painted; after a critical look at the painting and the progress she had made, she cleaned the brush – something she never let anyone else do, ever – and put it aside, then gracefully rose from her seat and moved to meet the blonde outside, her heart beating faster at the mere thought of being so close to her again.

* * *

Just like when she had been her driver for the first time, Haruka was standing next to the limousine by the time Michiru left the house to meet her; again, the artist noticed that her suit wasn't sitting as right as it should, something she ignored for the time being though, deciding that instead, she'd focus on how nice it was that she could spend time with the handsome blonde again.

"To the gallery", she told Haruka before the taller woman had the chance to ask, making her nod as she held the rear door open for her; and after she had given her a brief smile, Michiru slid into the car, getting comfortable while the driver took her seat, then started the engine, a strangely not uncomfortable silence filling the car as she drove from the estate and out onto the road.

This time, Michiru decided to not even bother with looking out the window the whole time, but allowed herself to sneak glances at the back of Haruka's head; she wasn't sure if the blonde was noticing, and even less sure if she wanted her to notice, or if she wanted to keep doting on her unnoticed.

 _Well, if she notices, it doesn't mean she'll do anything about it_ , she then told herself, sneaking yet another glance at the taller woman, almost disappointed when Haruka kept her eyes on the road, didn't even glance at the rear view mirror to meet her eyes there. _You already realized you'll have to be the one to initiate anything…_

She wondered if she'd be brave enough for this, if she could take this risk; ever since she had gotten married, she hadn't acted on her desires, unlike her husband – something she still couldn't view as cheating though, not after how they both had been forced into the marriage – and she hadn't been sure she ever would, unlike her husband not knowing where she could go to find discreet relief for her urges, and not all too keen on the one night stands he seemed to prefer, either.

The car coming to a halt distracted her from her thoughts, and she realized, with some dismay, that they had arrived at the gallery; momentarily, she felt like telling Haruka that she should just drive on, out of town, out of this life she couldn't stand, then regained her senses, merely nodding when the blonde stopped the limousine right in front of the building and asked her if she should wait for her in the car.

She entertained the notion of asking her to come inside with her instead, just for a second, then rigorously forced it out of her mind – it had been risky enough that she had taken a walk with Haruka on the pier, where any of her acquaintances might have seen them and might have recognized the woman by her side as her driver, and she wasn't willing to be the topic of next week's gossip by taking her chauffeur into a high class art gallery.

"I won't be long", she thus said, instead of asking her to come inside with her; Haruka just nodded in response, and after another, somewhat longing look at the back of her head, Michiru got out of the car, making her way into the gallery, suddenly sure that she could feel the blonde's eyes on her as she walked away from the car, but not daring to look but, all at once not sure what she might do if she'd glance back and really find the taller woman stare at her.

* * *

Just as she had told Haruka, she didn't take long in the gallery; the owner had given up on flirting with her, but still was willing to agree to whatever Michiru said, dully making her wonder if, had she asked the woman to do cartwheels all around the gallery, she would have done that, as well.

 _Probably_ , she thought to herself somewhat bitterly as she walked out of the building and to where the limousine still was parked, instantly feeling better though the moment she saw Haruka's silhouette through the driver side window, _not sure if she wants my paintings because of that talent she keeps mentioning, or because of my famous name, but she surely is willing to do a lot to have them in her gallery._

She thought back to how the elder woman had flirted with her when they'd had their first few talks about the showing, when no contract had been made yet and the showing of her works only had been a vague idea; even if the woman had been her type, she wasn't sure if she'd have dared to flirt back, but what she did know was that, if Haruka would flirt with her the same way, she surely wouldn't ignore the way she'd ignored the gallery owner.

Having noticed her approach, the blonde had gotten out of the car to open the rear door for her, as Michiru noticed with pleasure; she smiled at the blonde as she thanked her, then slid into the seat, at once knowing that she didn't want to go back home yet, the thought of sitting in her empty house with nothing special to do making her feel bitter and unhappy all over again.

"To the pier", she thus said, before Haruka even had the chance to ask where she wanted to go; with a brief nod, the blonde started the engine again, and moments later was driving once more, Michiru yet again surprised by how comfortable the silence between them was, well aware of how it was the exact opposite whenever she sat with her husband in absolute quiet like this.

Again, she let her mind wander as Haruka drove, glancing at the back of her head every now and then, just like during the drive to the gallery; and again, she wondered if Haruka noticed, and what she thought of the glances Michiru was stealing at her, if she could see the desire in her eyes or if she had some other explanation for the way her employer was looking at her.

She wasn't sure if she should be happy or dismayed that from the gallery, it wasn't far to the pier; not long after she had gotten back into the car, Haruka stopped the vehicle yet again, and this time, she didn't appear as surprised anymore when Michiru asked her to walk with her.

This time, there was no need for her to point out that it might be better for the blonde to take off her cap; Haruka did just that before she got out of the car, the smaller woman briefly thinking about the risk she was taking with doing this again before she shrugged those thoughts off and started walking, with the driver right beside her.

"So", the blonde broke the silence after a few minutes had ticked by, minutes during which they simply had strolled along side by side, "you really like it here, don't you?"

It seemed like something one of her acquaintances might say at one of the endlessly boring events she had to attend so often with her husband, but strangely, it didn't annoy her, as it usually did there; instead of feeling dismayed by the try to have small talk, it made her smile, and she took the chance given by it to look at the taller woman as she nodded.

"Not the pier itself, actually", she then felt the need to clarify, "but the ocean. I've liked it since I can remember."

Haruka nodded as well in reply, as if she had expected this answer; for another thirty seconds, there was silence, then she spoke up again, a hint of mischief in her voice, her words causing Michiru's cheeks to heat up, the feeling only increasing when she realized that it meant that she was blushing.

"So", Haruka wanted to know, now smirking in a slightly insolent way which, like her attempt at small talk, would have annoyed Michiru, had anyone else directed it at her, "you take all your chauffeurs for walks at the beach, then?"

"No", she replied curtly, asking herself if blushing too hard could give her a nosebleed or maybe even an aneurysm, the fact that Haruka's smirk widened not helping with her blush – before she decided that two could play this game, a smile curling her lips as she replied, her voice just a hint coquettish. "So, you better feel special."

Clearly, Haruka hadn't expected this from her, momentarily looking surprised, the expression on her face causing Michiru's smile to widen; she held the taller woman's gaze for another moment, then looked at the ocean again, the urge to jump into the waves and just let them carry her wherever suddenly so strong that it almost overwhelmed her.

"We should go back", she broke the silence yet again, before the urge might become too strong to be ignored, "my husband might need the car later on, and I wouldn't want to make him wait."

It was a rather lame excuse, since her husband usually didn't need the car at all on the days she got to use it; Haruka didn't know this though, and so, the blonde just nodded, Michiru leading the way as she turned away from the ocean and walked back to the car.

As always, Haruka held the door open for her, and she thanked her as she got into the car; during the drive back, they both were quiet, the artist stealing glances at the back of her driver's head again and again, her mind racing as she tried to figure out how she could get what she wanted from the blonde.

* * *

The drive back to the mansion was over faster than Michiru would have liked, but she let none of her dismay about this show when she got out of the car; she told Haruka to not put it into the garage yet, keeping up the ruse that her husband might need it, then made her way inside, immediately noticing the way the housekeeper was looking at her, worried and slightly embarrassed, a frown creasing her features as she asked the woman if something was wrong.

"No", the maid shot back at once, too fast for it to be believable, something she apparently realized herself moments later, as she cleared her throat, "or, um, maybe, Mrs Kaioh, I'm not sure, I…"

"What is it", Michiru demanded, growing impatient; she always tried to not be like her mother, who treated the staff as barely human necessities, tolerated, but not liked, but the behaviour of the elder woman made keeping this resolution decidedly difficult.

"Um", the woman let out again, only irritating her further, "your husband, uh, he brought… a guest…"

Michiru's eyes narrowed at the implications, and if she'd been someone else, someone who hadn't been raised to never show any unpleasant emotions, especially not to the staff, she would have clenched her fists; she had suspected that the staff was aware of her husband's true preferences, but so far, he had been discreet enough to not outright display them, and if the maid was so upset, Michiru could only imagine what he had done.

"It's fine", she said, suddenly eager to dismiss the woman so she could find out how far exactly the man had gone, "have no worries, we have an… arrangement. Go back to your duties, I will take care of this."

"Yes Ma'am", the housekeeper replied at once, her relief palpable; Michiru forced herself to give her a thin smile, then turned and walked upstairs, figuring that her husband and his _guest_ were somewhere up there.

She had expected them to sit in the lounge, perhaps a bit more affectionate with each other than it would have been proper; what she hadn't expected were the noises she heard from behind the bedroom door, and her blood ran cold, then hot with anger at his audacity, her eyes narrowing again as she stared at the closed door, as if she could burn a hole into it with the power of her gaze alone.

For a second, she felt the urge to just open the door as violently as possible and yell at him, not for the general principle of what he was doing, but for doing it there, in their house; a few deep breaths got that unhelpful need under control, and without letting them notice that she had been there, she turned and marched back downstairs, morbidly wondering if he was with someone from the staff or if he had brought someone home.

She wasn't even sure where she wanted to go now as she walked out of the house again, just wanting to get away; and then, she saw that the limousine was still there in front of the house, as she had told Haruka, and that the blonde hadn't gone to the staff room yet, but was cleaning the vehicle, whistling a happy tune just loud enough for Michiru to hear, not having noticed her yet.

"Haruka", she almost snapped, making the driver look up at her in surprise, clearly not having expected her back so soon, "I need you… to drive me. Now."

"Sure", the blonde got over her surprise fast, tossing the soft cloth she had used to wipe the bonnet onto the passenger seat next to the driver's before she opened the door for Michiru; usually, the artist thought to herself, she should have opened the door for her first, then disposed of the cloth, but she was too focused on her husband's blunder to care much.

"Where to?" Haruka tore her thoughts away from his atrocious behaviour again, causing her to just stare in response for a few seconds as she tried to figure out an answer; then, she shrugged, sinking back into the seat, all her anger suddenly gone as she just felt tired and resigned, emotions she didn't even bother to keep out of her voice when she replied. "I don't care. Just drive."

If Haruka thought that was odd, she didn't comment, but just nodded and started the engine; again, there was silence, Michiru not bothering to push it aside with music this time, but just staring out the window, trying to figure out where to go, and how long to stay away so she wouldn't feel like strangling her husband for what he had done anymore once she'd come back.

"You alright?" Haruka's voice broke the silence after a couple of minutes had ticked by; for a moment, Michiru felt like lashing out, like using her as the nearest target for her anger, ask her who she thought she was to ask her something like this, tell her that she should keep her mouth shut and focus on driving… Then she took in a deep breath, knowing it wasn't the blonde's fault and that Haruka just wanted to help, suddenly unable to keep a tremble out of her voice.

"No", she admitted, quite freely, more honest than she had been with any of the people who called themselves her friends, and to whom she only referred to as acquaintances, "no, I'm not. I haven't been for a while. Thanks for noticing, no one else does."

She didn't care anymore if she sounded bitter, if she did what was considered one of the biggest faux pas in her circles by talking this freely to someone who was working for her; to her surprise, Haruka stopped the car moments later, then turned in the seat to look at her, the genuine concern in her eyes as she asked her if she wanted to talk about it suddenly making Michiru feel like crying.

"There's not much to talk about", she told her once she had swallowed the lump in her throat and could be sure she wouldn't burst into tears the moment she'd open her mouth, "I'm unhappy. I have been unhappy for a while, and I don't expect that to change anytime soon."

There was no self-pity in her last words, only a statement; Haruka looked at her for a bit longer, then, without a word, got out of the car, surprising her yet again by joining her in the back moments later, sitting down beside her, not touching her – yet, she thought to herself – but still looking at her with this honest concern, her voice kind and caring when she replied. "Tell me."

And before she realized what she was doing, Michiru told her, told her everything; she started with how her parents had basically bullied her into marriage after she had told them that she was gay, how they had told her that they knew of a family worthy of a marriage and that the son of said family had "the same problem", and how she thus had ended up married to a man she didn't like or even truly know, the arrangement they had, and that this man, in this very moment, was having another guy in their bedroom.

"I don't care that he cheats on me", she added while Haruka just stared, a bit overwhelmed, "but that he does it in our house! He should know better, we were agreeing that we would have to be discreet!"

"Okay", the blonde gave back, still sounding and looking shell-shocked, "wow. That's… um, sorry, but that's messed up. No offense."

"Oh, it is", Michiru agreed at once, clearly not offended, "and I'm sorry for unloading all of this on you. But, well… as I said, the people I spend my time with… I wouldn't consider any of them close enough to tell them all of this. They might have their suspicions, but they are polite enough not to ask."

"Huh", the blonde let out, how startled she was making Michiru smile despite her dismay about the whole situation, "I guess that should make me feel special again? What are you gonna do now?"

"Nothing", the young woman shrugged in response, making Haruka raise an eyebrow, "there isn't much I can do. I'm married to him, I'm too old to run away from home, and I wouldn't know where to go and what to do anyway. I'll sit him down once we're back home and have a stern talk with him, and hope it will help. Oh, and perhaps I will find myself a handsome woman to keep me company, so far, I haven't, but since he has no qualms about it…"

"Oh", Haruka replied, not all too smart, "well… that… might work? I mean, it might make you feel a bit better, and you're really beautiful, so you shouldn't have any trouble with—"

Later, Michiru wouldn't know what had possessed her to behave so rashly, but in this very second, she had no other need than to act on the lust she'd been harbouring for the blonde ever since she first had laid eyes on her; perhaps, she was more vulnerable than she had thought after her detailed confession, and perhaps what her husband had done had hurt her more than she had thought, but in the end, she figured it didn't really matter why she had done it – why she had cut Haruka off by grabbing her collar and practically yanking her closer, kissing her hard enough to knock off her cap, a surprised, somewhat muffled noise coming from the driver at the unexpected development.

And then, Haruka was kissing her back, with a fervour to match her own, making her glad that the limousine was roomy enough to let the taller woman embrace her without any awkward tangling; they kissed until she felt as if she might faint from lack of air, breathing heavily by the time she pulled back, her cheeks flushed, a glint in her eyes she saw mirrored in Haruka's as their gazes met.

"Tell me you want me", the artist breathed, her hands already working on removing the uniform jacket, then on opening the buttons of her shirt; only when she heard Haruka say the words she had demanded, with audible arousal making her voice even lower and hoarser than usual, she realized how much she had ached to hear them, and she rewarded the blonde with another kiss, pressing herself against her when she felt her hand slide to the back of her dress and the zipper there.

 _It's a good thing the windows are tainted_ , she thought to herself, realizing that she didn't even know if they were parked in a populated area; then, she pulled Haruka down on top of her, and all those thoughts were forgotten as the blonde's kiss and touch became her entire world, making her feel better than she had in years.

* * *

Her husband asked no questions when she came back home, and she didn't have the stern talk she had planned; after what Haruka and she had done in the backseat, she couldn't care less, a smile on her face and a spring in her step when she entered the living room.

"You'll have to get a second limousine and driver for yourself", she told him, not bothering to ask, but merely making a statement again, "Haruka will work solely for me from now on."

To his credit, he only reacted by raising an eyebrow, then asked if there was a special reason for this; she smiled at him, a sharp, thin smile which made him fidget uneasily, her response only earning a frown from him, but again, she gave him credit for not prodding further, as other people might have done.

"Ask me no questions, and I'll tell you no lies", she told him, and after a moment, he nodded; she gave him another smile (one he later would describe as wolfish to his special guest, something she'd never know though), then turned and made her way to her studio, feeling happy and inspired – and already making plans to go for a long drive in the next day, and the days to come, as often as possible.

Michiru didn't know what Haruka and she had, if it could be called love or if it was merely lust; for now though, she was content with what it was, and if more should grow from it, she'd be more than happy to go along with it, smiling a genuine smile to herself for the first time in months, her thoughts never straying far from the blonde, and from imagining what the future might hold for them.


	3. All I Need

Michiru couldn't quite remember the last time she had been so angry.

She had been upset when she had come home to find her husband in bed with his special guest, as the housekeeper had called him, and some of that had come back when she had talked to him afterwards; but then he had reassured her that it wouldn't happen again, and she had calmed down again, aided considerably by what Haruka and she had done in the back of the limousine hours earlier.

His promise that it wouldn't happen again had lasted for almost two full weeks, days during which she had noticed nothing of what he did with his special friend and days during which he had noticed nothing of what she did with Haruka, either – and then, she had come home from a vernissage at the gallery where she'd show her art quite soon, and had heard noises from their bedroom which were impossible to mistake for anything but sex.

Just as she had told Haruka the first time this had happened, it wasn't the cheating which made her so angry – their marriage was practically a sham, after all, decided by their families to stop certain rumours about their preferences – but the lack of respect it showed to her and her wishes; after all, she angrily thought to herself as she made her way back downstairs, fighting down the urge to stomp down the stairway, she was considerate enough to not take Haruka to the bedroom, even when her husband wasn't around, but to keep their time together limited to the back of the limousine, even though she constantly feared that Haruka might tire of this and tell her to find someone else who'd take care of her needs like this.

Now that she had made it to the bottom of the stairs, she wasn't sure where else to go; the bedroom, or even the whole first floor, was not an option, not as long as her hubby dearest was up there with his guest, a fact which now made her regret that her studio was up there, as well, making it impossible for her to find comfort in her painting.

For a few moments, she remained standing at the bottom of the stairs, then finally got moving, making her way to the front door; it was raining outside by now, a change in the weather which apparently had happened in the few minutes since she had come home, but one which didn't stop her, the small roof above the front door protecting her from the rain as she sat down on the stairs and stared out into the night.

Once again, she found herself wondering why she had let it happen to be strong-armed into this marriage, just so her family wouldn't have to deal with the world knowing that she was gay; she knew that her husband had been forced into this just the way it had been done to her, but that knowledge didn't make accepting the way he behaved any easier.

As if nature had decided that she wasn't miserable enough yet, a sudden gust of wind came up, sending just enough raindrops her way to make her shiver with the cold; still she didn't want to go back inside, not willing to do so until her husband's special guest was out of their shared bedroom.

 _You better hope they don't fall asleep in there after they are done_ , she thought to herself with another grimace, _you can't sit out here all night._

At least, she told herself somewhat bitterly, it was past midnight already, so perhaps, she might be lucky and get to go back inside earlier than she thought right now; and just when she shifted on the cold ground to get more comfortable, not caring that she dirtied her dress, Haruka spoke up to her right, startling her enough to make her flinch.

"Michiru?" the blonde wanted to know, sounding surprised, "what are you doing out here? Did something happen?"

Shrugging, Michiru craned her neck to look up at her; she still was wearing the buttoned white shirt and the black slacks from the driver's uniform, she noticed, but the jacket and the cap were gone, the sleeves of the shirt rolled up to her elbows, giving her a look much more casual than Michiru was used to.

"My husband is entertaining a _guest_ ", Michiru let her know, unable to keep the bitterness out of her voice, prompting Haruka to raise an eyebrow, "and while my behaviour might seem petty or even childish, I do not feel like waiting inside until he is done."

"Ah", Haruka let out in response, not appearing all too surprised anymore, not after what Michiru had told her about her marriage and her husband, "well… That makes sense, kinda, but you're gonna catch your death out here. Wanna come to my room with me?"

Momentarily, Michiru was startled, not having expected this offer at all; then, before she could change her mind, she nodded, telling herself that it was her house as much as her husband's and that she could hang out in the staff rooms if she wanted to, without having to justify it to anyone.

"You'll have to lead the way, I'm afraid", she told Haruka as she got up from her seat on the cold ground, "while I am not certain what this might say about me, I have no idea where your room is located."

If Haruka had any negative thoughts about this, she didn't articulate them, but just smirked and shrugged, then let Michiru know it was no problem; Michiru gave her a brief, half-hearted smile, pulling her head between her shoulders in a rather useless attempt to protect herself from the rain when Haruka started leading the way, away from the front door and to one of the side entrances, the smaller woman close behind her.

At least, she told herself as they reached the staff rooms, the area of the house was just as nice as the rest of it; and even though Haruka's room was rather sparse, with just a bed, a table with two chairs and a small cupboard, Michiru figured that the blonde was content with it, considering that she didn't live at the house all the time, but only spent the night when she was on driving duty.

"I can get us something from the kitchen if you like", the blonde distracted her from those ponderings, making her glance at her, "something to drink or a snack or both?"

"No thank you", Michiru replied, feeling a bit awkward all of a sudden, not sure if she should sit down at the table or on the bed; part of her knew that this was irrational, she had slept with Haruka several times by now and so this shouldn't be so weird, but still she found herself unable to stop feeling this way, picking up one of the paperbacks Haruka had stacked on the table just to keep her hands busy.

"So", Haruka distracted her yet again, making her put the book back on the table before she could get more than a quick glimpse at it, "you want to talk about what happened?"

"Not really, no", Michiru let her know with a small sigh, simultaneously deciding that the bed looked more comfortable than the chair and moving to sit on it, "I'd just like to stay here until his special guest is gone. Only if you don't mind, of course."

"Of course I don't", Haruka told her at once, making her smile slightly, her smile widening when the blonde moved to sit down next to her, "but, if I can be honest, I hope you don't want to go anywhere early tomorrow morning, then."

"No worries there", Michiru reassured her, making her smile back at her – only for the smile to vanish within the blink of an eye at what the smaller woman blurted out next, the words having left her mouth before she could've even attempted to stop them. "Do you like me?"

"Uhm, what?" Haruka gave back, not all too smart, but not quite sure if she had heard her right; Michiru flushed visibly in response, clearing her throat and looking decidedly uncomfortable, but repeating the question, knowing that the blonde had understood her perfectly well and that backing down now wasn't an option.

"Don't hesitate to be honest", she added when Haruka just stared at her, flabbergasted, "I'm not going to fire you if you tell me what you think I might not want to hear."

"We've had sex in the back of that limo a dozen times by now", the blonde pointed out in response, after a few more moments of silence to sort her thoughts, "you think I would have done that if I didn't like you?"

"I don't know", Michiru replied, for once not veiling her words, the way she did with everyone else she spoke to, "I mean no offense, Haruka, but in my circles, people often do things they do not want to do, for their own advantage and gain. Sleeping with persons they do not like is part of that, for some."

She only started to feel more uncomfortable when Haruka just looked at her, her face impossible to read and making Michiru realize how little she actually knew her driver; the seconds ticked by, each of them making her feel worse and worse, making the silence between them more oppressive, until she felt as if it would suffocate her any second now.

And then, just when she thought she couldn't take it anymore, that she had to say something to break this, Haruka closed the gap between them, small as it already was, and kissed her, a tender and gentle and slow kiss which made her heart skip a beat.

"Does that answer your question?" Haruka murmured after they had pulled apart again, her voice barely above a whisper; all Michiru could do was nod as an answer, her throat suddenly tight and her heart clenching up painfully.

"I wish", she started, then heard how close to cracking her voice was and fell silent again, taking a heavy breath before she tried again, "I wish I had met you before I married him…"

This time, it was Haruka who was at a loss for words; she handled it better than Michiru though, the smaller woman had to admit to herself, making sure that things wouldn't get uncomfortable by simply wrapping both arms around her, only tightening her embrace when she felt Michiru tremble slightly in her arms.

As she returned the embrace, Michiru felt sudden tears burn in her eyes, glad that her face was now hidden against Haruka's shoulder so the driver wouldn't notice; she couldn't remember the last time she had been held like this, but couldn't care less about what this said about her family and so-called friends, too overwhelmed by how good the hug felt to allow such dark thoughts.

"I'm sorry", she mumbled as she finally pulled back from the embrace, glad that at least, she had gotten the urge to cry under control, even though her voice still trembled slightly, just enough to let Haruka notice, "it's almost two a.m. and here I am, keeping you awake with my troubles…"

"No problem", the driver let her know, giving her a smile which, had she not been sitting already, would have made her decidedly weak in the knees, "I'm glad if I could help."

"You did", Michiru reassured her at once, smiling again when the taller woman put one arm around her shoulders and pulled her a bit closer again, prompting her to snuggle up to her after a moment of wondering if doing so would be okay, "I really needed this. Thank you."

"No problem", Haruka repeated, making the smaller woman smile at her once more – before she leaned in for another kiss, just as gentle as the one they had shared a few minutes ago, her unhappiness with her life for the moment forgotten as she fully focused on Haruka, on how the blonde was making her feel, the way her heart raced in her chest and her lips tingled where those of the taller woman touched them pushing everything else far, far away.

 _All my agony fades away  
When you hold me in your embrace_

 **Within Temptation – All I Need**


	4. The Truth Beneath The Rose

"Michiru?" Her paintbrush paused in mid-stroke at the unexpected sound of her husband's voice, briefly making her glad that she hadn't flinched and thus messed up the painting; this feeling didn't last long though as she realized that, since they had gotten married, this was the first time he came to her in her studio.

"Yes?" she acknowledged him a bit belatedly while she carefully put her brush down, then turned on her stool to look at him; he looked a bit sheepish, clearly still affected by the talk they had had the previous evening, a talk during which her voice had grown cold and hard as she had told him yet again that she wouldn't accept him entertaining his special guest in their bedroom anymore.

"I, uhm", he started, then interrupted himself to scratch the back of his head nervously, moving his hand to the pocket of his jacket afterwards, "I got you a little something. You know, to make up for… my lapse."

"I don't care about your lapses in general", Michiru reminded him of their arrangement, "as long as you don't have them in our bedroom."

"Uhm, yes, well", he stuttered, forcing her to hold back a darkly satisfied smile, "I'm… sorry about that. I, uh, got you a little something to make up for it…"

He reached into his pocket and pulled out an oblong jewellery case; clearing his throat, he held it out to her, and after giving it a brief, but critical look, Michiru accepted it, making him smile slightly, a smile which faded again though when she didn't return it.

After another brief look at him, she opened the case, not surprised to find quite the pricey bracelet inside; it was a delicate thing, made of small silver links and studded with emeralds, an attempt, she guessed, to give her something which matched her eyes and perhaps her hair, and she rewarded him with a brief smile, his relief palpable when she put it on afterwards.

"Thank you", she decided to be polite, "it's very nice."

"I'm glad you like it", he told her, smiling again; this time, she made herself smile again, the phony smile she gave to all her acquaintances, but he didn't notice how fake it was, merely holding his own for a moment longer before he gave some excuse and left the room again.

 _Haruka would have noticed_ , she thought to herself, a thought quite random and out of nowhere; and still she knew that it was true – her driver didn't know her that long yet, not even two months, but already, she knew the difference between her polite, phony smile and her real one.

She looked at the bracelet again, and another thought came to her, a much less pleasant one – perhaps, she pondered somewhat sourly, her hubbie dearest had gone to her father for advice on how to deal with a crisis in their marriage, after all, buying her mother expensive jewellery had been her father's go-to solution whenever he had done something which had caused strife in the marriage, something which hadn't happened often, with her parents not spending much time together as it was, but occasionally, at least enough so she'd had the chance to notice.

 _Or maybe it's the same with his parents_ , she pondered as she looked at her painting, suddenly not feeling like working on it anymore, _wouldn't be surprising, that does seem to be a sad standard in our circles._

She held back a sigh, then left the studio, figuring that she might as well spend some time with Haruka if she wouldn't get any more work on her painting done; she found the maid and asked her to tell the driver that the car should be ready in twenty minutes, then moved to the bathroom, quickly checking up her make-up there, telling herself that she did so to be presentable, should she run into someone she knew, and not because she wanted to look nice for Haruka.

When she left the house fifteen minutes later, she wasn't surprised to find Haruka already waiting; what did surprise her though was the fact that the blonde blushed the moment she saw her, then cleared her throat, reminding her of the way her husband had acted, and making her feel decidedly surreal when she spoke up the moment they both had gotten into the car.

"Uhm, I got you something", Haruka muttered from the driver's seat, making her lean forward in anticipation, "just a little… aw now it seems like a bad idea. Forget I said anything."

"Haruka", Michiru chided in response, "you cannot tell me you got me something and then tell me to forget it, within ten seconds no less. What is it? I'm sure it's lovely."

Haruka shifted on her seat uncomfortably in reply, then turned so she could look at her; she still appeared insecure, but apparently made up her mind when Michiru gave her a genuine, warm smile, clearing her throat again as she reached for something on the passenger seat, presenting her gift to the artist moments later.

"It's a perfect rose", she murmured, blushing so brightly that Michiru feared for her well-being, "uhm, a friend of mine has a flower shop and I saw it there and talked her into letting me have it. You see, none of the petals have any flaws, that's very rare… oh but I'm sure you knew that…"

Realizing that she was babbling, Haruka trailed off, feeling uncomfortable and awkward again; here she was, presenting a simple flower to this woman who could probably afford to buy a whole garden filled with them, once again asking herself what had gotten into her when she had brought the rose along.

"It's beautiful", Michiru let her know, her soft, almost breathless tone showing the blonde that she was telling the truth and wasn't just saying it to be polite, "thank you. That was very thoughtful of you."

"I'm glad you like it", Haruka mumbled, still feeling awkward enough to find it hard to look at her; and even though she was in the driver's seat, and Michiru was in the back, the artist didn't let the uncomfortable position stop herself, but moved forward to kiss her, slowly and tenderly, moving her free hand to the taller woman's neck and caressing the fine hair there, smiling again when she felt Haruka shiver in response.

"Thank you", she said once more after the kiss, settling comfortably into the seat again; Haruka gave her a happy, bright grin, then apparently remembered that she had a job to do and asked her where she wanted to go, not surprised at all when Michiru told her that she should take her to the pier.

As Haruka manoeuvred the car down the driveway and onto the street, Michiru looked at the rose, carefully running one finger over the silky petals; her new bracelet caught her gaze at the movement, but it seemed dull and boring now, something bought out of obligation while this rose was a true gift of love, given with no ulterior motives and simply to make her happy.

And it was the most beautiful gift she had ever received.


	5. Suiting Up

"I really wish we could do this in a proper bed at some point", Michiru sighed as she slumped back into the seat, moving one hand to wipe sweat off her brow, not caring that the motion made the top part of her dress, which Haruka had partially unbuttoned not too long ago, open even farther and let the blonde have a very good look at her breasts, "don't get me wrong, I do enjoy it here, but it'd be nice."

"I guess so", Haruka shrugged, getting comfortable next to her and buttoning her shirt up again, and even though she felt happy and exhausted after yet another round of sex in the back of the limo, Michiru noticed once more that the suit didn't fit just right, too much of the shirt sleeve showing where the suit's sleeves were too short, and hanging from Haruka's lanky frame where it should have been a perfect fit.

"I'd offer my home", the driver went on, distracting her from those observations, as unfitting as they were for so shortly after sex, "but, well, my roommate…"

"…works at night and sleeps during the day, I know", Michiru finished for her, with a small sigh, "and since we are not exactly quiet, that is too risky. And, well, after the Hell I gave my husband for taking his special friend to our bed, I can't do the exact same thing now."

"Well, you know", Haruka smirked, moving one hand to run it up Michiru's upper thigh, her smirk widening at how the smaller woman shivered at her touch, "you guys pay pretty well. Or, at least the agency you sent me to drive you does. So maybe we can check into some fancy hotel some day, my treat."

"That sounds lovely", Michiru smiled at once, only for her features to darken moments later as she realized that this plan had a slight flaw, "but the hotel better not be too fancy, my dear, or we might run into one of my acquaintances. Not that I am ashamed of you, but…"

She trailed off as she noticed the way Haruka was looking at her, with a strange mixture of joy and surprise on her face – but at least, she told herself as she shifted on the seat nervously, she didn't look angry or annoyed, and thus probably hadn't taken her words the wrong way.

"You know", Haruka started before she could ask what was going on, "that was the first time you called me… something like that. An endearment, I think it's called."

"Oh", Michiru gave back, only now realizing what she had said, momentarily feeling horrified about it – she hadn't been aware of it when the words had left her mouth, and now, she found herself wondering what might happen, should such a lapse happen in public, not wanting to imagine the look on the faces of her acquaintances when she called her driver "my dear" or perhaps something else, even more loving in front of them.

Then, with her horror only growing, she realized that the part of her mind which had made this realization sounded suspiciously like her mother; and thus, she quickly pushed it aside, all of this happening within moments, not taking long enough to let Haruka notice any of it, a smile on her face again when she focused on the blonde.

"Yes", she confirmed, moving her hand to the back of the taller woman's neck and running her fingertips over the hair there, hair so fine it was almost fuzz, knowing by now that being caressed there always had quite the effect on Haruka, "an endearment. Do you mind?"

"Look at this", Haruka replied, pointing to her face in reply, "this is an idiotic grin. That means not only do I not mind, but that I find it really sweet and lovely."

"That's good to know", Michiru smiled, her smile widening as she kept moving her fingers over the fine hair and Haruka shuddered visibly in response, "but I wouldn't call that expression on your face an idiotic grin. I find it very charming and not idiotic at all… and I do believe that you buttoned your shirt up too early. My dear."

"Seems so", Haruka brought out in a voice even hoarser than usual; Michiru gave her another smile, then pulled her close for a kiss, moving her free hand to the buttons of her driver's shirt again, gasping into her mouth when in return, the blonde slid her hand inside her dress, once more making her forget all about her troubles.

* * *

In the next morning, after breakfast, Michiru told the housekeeper to let her driver know that the car should be ready in twenty minutes; by now, Haruka had taken her to the luxurious shopping street often enough that she merely nodded when Michiru asked her to drive her there, only finding it odd once they had arrived there and the smaller woman asked her to go into one of the stores with her.

"You know", she joked as she walked beside her, not really looking where they were going, "if you want me to carry your bags now, you'll have to pay extra. That's not in the contract."

Michiru just smiled in reply, then entered the store she had come here for; curious, Haruka followed her, raising an eyebrow when she saw that it was a shop for men's clothing, briefly wondering if Michiru wanted to get her husband something, despite how loveless their marriage was, a thought which was destroyed quickly though as the sales person came over and asked if they needed help – and Michiru gestured at her, telling the young man that she needed a suit or two for her friend.

"Perhaps two, both black", she pondered, more to herself than to the salesman or to Haruka, missing the gobsmacked look Haruka had on her face now, "and a couple of shirts. White button downs. Oh, and ties, how about a red and a blue one?"

"Just a moment", Haruka regained her ability to speak before the man had the chance to react, "um, Michiru?"

She led the way to the far back of the store, where hopefully, the salesman couldn't hear them, keeping her voice low as she addressed her employer, not even trying to keep the shock out of her voice anymore.

"You can't do this", she told the smaller woman, making her raise an eyebrow, "that's too expensive, jeez, have you looked at the price tags? One of these suits costs more than I make in… well, less than a year because the agency pays well, but not that well. I can't afford this."

"You don't have to", Michiru replied, making sure to keep her voice low, as well, "I will pay for all of this. Don't be offended, but your suit… is not a perfect fit."

"Well, you can afford them, I guess", Haruka had to admit, making Michiru smile, "but… Michiru, you don't have to do this. If my suit not fitting perfectly bothers you, I'll get one in my price range, but these… this is too much."

"Haruka", Michiru gave back after a quick look to make sure the salesman wasn't eavesdropping, "I… God, I don't even know how to explain this… You surely remember the rose you gave me? The perfect rose? I could never come up with something like this. Perhaps I lack the romantic inclination, or, even though I am an artist, the eye for such lovely gifts. But I do want to give you something, and this is what I'm good at. Expensive things you wouldn't buy for yourself. Please let me do this for you."

"…fine", Haruka mumbled after a moment, instinctively grasping what Michiru had been trying to say – when they weren't kissing and having sex in the back of the car, Michiru knew no other way than this when it came to showing her affection, never having seen anything else from those around her until she had met Haruka and had been presented with a flower as a thoughtful gift, making the blonde wonder if this had been the first time someone had given her something which hadn't been bought for a ridiculously high price.

"But just one suit", she hurriedly added, while Michiru smiled in relief at her agreement, "and… you don't have to buy me things, I want you to know that. I like you just fine, and I'll keep on liking you, no matter if you buy me stuff or not."

"That's good to know", Michiru gave back, her smile wavering slightly at her own realization, "and I imagine you're the first person I've met who'd say this. You're so unlike the people I grew up with and live with now…"

"That's something we got in common, then", Haruka smirked, the smaller woman's smile widening in reply – before she moved to get the salesman again, letting him know that they were ready now, the man smiling pleasantly and politely as he nodded.

"A black suit you said, yes?" he asked, making it Michiru's turn to nod he agreement; he gave them another pleasant smile, then started presenting said suits, Haruka trying to ignore the price tags as she looked at them, for Michiru's sake trying hard to hide her discomfort at how much the clothes in this store cost.

At least, it didn't take long, the driver choosing a suit fairly quickly; and not long after the salesman had started presenting them, she was shown to the changing room, not even surprised when it turned out to be an actual room and not one of the often cramped and badly lit booths she was used to.

What did surprise her was that Michiru walked in with her, not even looking if the salesman was noticing; upon the way Haruka raised an eyebrow at her, she smiled and shrugged, sitting down on the comfortable looking chair in the corner and straightening out her skirt as she answered the unasked question.

"His salary makes him discreet", she let the blonde know, "and, trust me, this is not the first time two people have entered this room."

"Huh", Haruka let out, earning another smile from the artist; shrugging it off, she figured that Michiru knew what she was talking about and started changing into the first of the three shirts they had picked, putting on the suit once she had found one which had fit just right, well aware of Michiru's approving gaze as she did so.

"That looks great on you", the artist told her as soon as she had buttoned up the jacket, "a very good fit. Now we just need to choose a tie, red or blue?"

"Uhm, blue?" Haruka gave back, suddenly, to Michiru's concern, looking quite awkward, "but maybe we should look if they have pre-tied ones, I'm… not very good at tying them. I tied the one I wore until now for driving you with a tutorial from the internet and just loosened it when I took it off so I wouldn't have to do it again."

"Oh, that's no problem", Michiru reassured her, smiling as she got up from her seat, grasping the blue tie as she moved up to the blonde, "I'm quite good at this. My mother taught me, in case I end up married to a man who doesn't know how to do it. She's been tying my father's ties for him ever since I can remember."

As she spoke, she already did what she was talking about, impressing Haruka with how fast she did it; when she had done it before she had driven Michiru for the first time, it had taken her ages, even with the tutorial, and here the artist did it with an ease and speed that made it look as easy as tying her shoelaces.

"There", she stated not even thirty seconds later, "all done. But now I have to make sure I did it right."

And with those words, she wrapped one hand around the tie, then used it to pull Haruka down, their lips meeting in a tender kiss seconds later, a satisfied smile on Michiru's face after they had pulled apart again.

"Looks like it holds", she then commented, running one hand down the taller woman's front, "and you look marvellous."

Haruka just had time to briefly return the smile, then Michiru pulled her down again for yet another kiss; for a moment, she worried about the salesman as the smaller woman told her with an unmistakable glint in her eyes that she should take the suit off again now so they could pay for it, then remembered what Michiru had said about the man's salary making him discreet and figured that he wouldn't burst into the room anytime soon, the fact that he was out there soon forgotten as Michiru unbuttoned her shirt yet again, showing her how much exactly she had liked seeing her in that new suit.


	6. Principle of Doubt

_I tremble where I stand  
My wish is your command  
The yearning of an undiscovered soul  
Give me something real  
So that I can truly feel_

 **Kamelot - Liar Liar (Wasteland Monarchy)**

"Michiru, hello", her mother chirped as she hugged her, then kissed the air close to her cheeks, "how nice that you could make it. Your beloved couldn't come?"

For a second, Michiru entertained the notion to tell her that actually, her beloved had taken her to this café, and was waiting at the bar – a faux pas all by itself, she thought, her family always had made the driver wait in the car; then, she decided against it, telling herself that she couldn't call Haruka her beloved ( _at least not yet_ , her brain interjected, not very helpful), and that giving her mother a heart attack in a café frequented by people they both knew surely wouldn't be good for her social standing.

"No", she thus said instead, fighting the urge to glance towards the bar, where she knew Haruka had sat down by now, knowing that, while her mother might appear friendly and cheery now, she was keeping a close eye on her, having invited her to this lunch not just to socialize with her, "just as Father apparently could not make it."

"Oh, you know your father", her mother replied, sitting down again and prompting Michiru to do the same, the elder woman glancing around for the waiter as she spoke on, "always busy with his work. He told me to send you his regards though."

"Thank you", Michiru replied, keeping up her carefully constructed façade so her mother wouldn't notice how glad she was that she sat facing the bar and thus could steal glances at Haruka while the elder woman sat with her back to the blonde, and hopefully wouldn't notice anything, "he is doing well, I hope?"

"Oh yes", her mother reassured her, the waiter coming to their table before she could give more details; her mother ordered white wine while Michiru asked for soda, part of her noting that she never had seen her mother drink anything else than wine during such meetings, and suddenly worrying if perhaps, this was how the elder woman dealt with her life, finding peace and solace in alcohol while she found it in the arms of another woman.

"Make sure to keep this glass filled, my good man", the elder woman told the waiter as he brought the drinks, as if to confirm Michiru's thoughts; the waiter nodded, not letting it show if he thought that this was an odd request, handing them the lunch menus without comment and retreating again, giving them time to choose their meals.

There was some more mindless small talk, until the waiter came back to get their lunch order; and after the food, a light salad for Michiru's mother and a salmon sandwich for her, had been served, the elder woman finally asked the question which surely had been burning on her mind ever since her daughter had joined her at the café.

"So, tell me", she started, her tone of voice causing Michiru to stiffen involuntarily, a quick glance at Haruka helping her to relax though, the blonde sitting at the bar and sipping at a glass of soda while she read the paper, "how are things in your marriage? Well, I hope?"

"Yes", Michiru replied curtly, not really wishing to discuss her marriage; after all, her mother was well aware of what a sham it was, and she found it a bit hard to stomach that she now would ask her this, as if it had been her choice to marry this man.

"We get along", she added when the elder woman gave her a questioning look, "which, I imagine, is all one can ask for, in a marriage such as ours."

"You will get used to each other, I'm sure", her mother replied, unimpressed by the small bard Michiru had veiled carefully – perhaps, she thought, too carefully – in her words, "and perhaps, once you did, we can expect grandchildren?"

Michiru was honestly glad that she hadn't been drinking at this very moment, or taking a bite of her sandwich, for she surely would have choked at this unexpected question; all she could do was stare at her mother in response, the elder woman smiling at her, raising an eyebrow when the artist didn't reply at once.

"Mother", she finally regained her ability to speak, "my husband, as you very well know, is gay. So am I. Do I need to explain to you why this will make producing any grandchildren for you quite difficult?"

"I'm sure once you got used to each other, this little phase of yours will end", her mother replied airily, dismissing her words with an ease which made her furious, "and once this happened, you should really think of children."

"This lunch is over", Michiru decided in response, finding it hard to believe when her mother looked at her in surprise as an answer, either having no idea why her daughter was offended, or pretending; and Michiru didn't really care which one of the two it was, suddenly just eager to get out of there.

"But Michiru, dear", her mother started, "you didn't even finish your food!"

"Not hungry anymore", Michiru coldly replied, both of them having spoken loud enough to gain the attention of several other guests; Haruka was one of them, and at the sight of Michiru standing up from her seat and grabbing her bag, she quickly folded up her newspaper and hurried outside, making sure to arrive at the limousine before her employer did.

And it had been a good thing that she had hurried, she realized, as Michiru practically came rushing out of the café not even half a minute later; she was walking so fast that Haruka briefly wondered why she wasn't actually running, then realized why – Michiru had been brought up to be classy and act like a lady at all times, and in the eyes of her parents, ladies didn't run.

Quickly, she opened the limousine's rear door for her, the smaller woman getting in without a word; now seriously worried, Haruka got into the driver's seat, and the moment she had pulled the door close, Michiru murmured "to the pier", not really surprising the blonde – by now, she knew her well enough to know that the sight of the ocean soothed her, and she figured that, whatever had been said back there, had upset her enough that some soothing was desperately needed.

Michiru remained silent in the back of the car, and even though Haruka ached to make her feel better, she didn't say anything, either; not sure if the artist wanted music or if the silence suited her just fine, she didn't dare to put on some music, either, focusing on her driving instead, glad that at least, it wasn't far to the pier.

The moment she had stopped the limousine there, Michiru got out of it, not even waiting for her to open the door; without looking back, she strode off, briskly moving to the far end of the pier, where she'd have the best view of the ocean, taking in a deep breath once she had reached her desired destination, feeling sick to her stomach as she remembered how she simply had left her mother behind in the café.

"Michiru?" she heard Haruka from behind her, then felt the taller woman's hand on her shoulder, still not looked at her though, "are you okay?"

"No", Michiru brought out after swallowing heavily a few times, suddenly feeling close to tears as the reality of what she had done set in, "I just… I just left her there, I can't believe I did this!"

"Well, I imagine you had your reasons?" Haruka half stated, half asked, not sure if it had been the right to say, but knowing that she couldn't just say nothing, either, "I mean, I wasn't close enough to hear, but you looked pretty upset…"

"She asked about kids!" the words burst out of Michiru, her shock turning into anger at how easily her mother had dismissed her explanation for why there wouldn't be any children anytime soon, "she _knows_ I'm gay, and she knows he is! But when I told her, she acted as if I'll just get over it and have sex with this man I barely even know, just so she can have a grandchild to lord it over, like she did with me!"

She fell silent, breathing heavily after this unexpected, but heated tirade; and then, her shoulders slumped and she ran a shaky hand down her face, her voice trembling with held-back tears again as she continued, Haruka just looking at her in stunned, helpless silence.

"And I would've let her", Michiru almost whispered, wrapping both arms around herself and making Haruka wonder whom she was telling this to, to her or perhaps, to herself, "just like I let her do it to me…"

Haruka still didn't know what to say, but knew that there was something else she could do to help; and she did it without hesitation, moving closer to Michiru and pulling her into an embrace, wrapping both arms around her and rubbing her back soothingly.

Fighting to regain her composure, Michiru returned the embrace, hiding her face against the taller woman's shoulder; for a moment, she worried that somebody might be there who knew her and might see them, see her in a tight embrace with a person who clearly was not her husband – before she forced these worries down, deciding that she didn't care about this anymore and that all she wanted for the moment was to be held close by this woman who already meant so much to her.

"I'm fine", she finally murmured, after letting the tight embrace and the soft sound of the ocean calm her down for another minute, raising her head enough so she could look at the taller woman, "but honestly, I don't know why you put up with this."

"Huh?" Haruka let out in response, not all too intelligent, but a bit overwhelmed by how out of nowhere this last bit had come, "what?"

"Let's be frank", Michiru responded, looking up at her, and frightening her by moving a step back, out of her embrace, "it wouldn't be difficult for you to find a girl who's… easier to handle. I'm a married woman, if my parents knew I'm sleeping you, they'd disown me, we'd probably end up in the paper if any of my acquaintances ever knew, and the only way I can show my affection is by buying you expensive things. And you know all this, so you know that I can never publicly be your… date, all we can ever have is an affair. Why do you put up with this? You could have other girls, easier to handle, girls who'd proudly call you theirs and hold your hand in public…"

"I don't want any other girl", Haruka gave back at once, trying hard to ignore the urge to move closer to her and pull her into a hug again, Michiru's whole body language showing how dismayed she was, "I want you. And I don't care about these things you just said, I knew what I was getting into when I kissed you back for the first time."

"No, you don't", Michiru replied, sounding almost desperate now, making Haruka wonder if, for some reason she couldn't quite follow, the smaller woman was trying to push her away now, "you don't understand, if this gets out… It's not just my name they'll drag through the mud. It'll be yours, too, they'll call you a gold digger and other, even worse things, you might lose your job, and if the story gets big enough, you might have more troubles finding a new one than you might think right now."

"Stop it", Haruka told her the second she had the chance to, forgetting that they were in public for the moment as she grasped her hand, "you don't know if any of this will happen. And even if it does, I'll deal, I've dealt with worse. We'll deal with it together. Okay?"

"I don't know if I can", Michiru whispered in reply, to Haruka's shock suddenly close to tears, the way she swallowed heavily telling the blonde that she was struggling to hold them back, "Haruka, I wasn't even strong enough to tell them no when they arranged the marriage… I tried, at first, I really did, but they wouldn't stop about it, and in the end, I gave in, just to make them stop. And if my mother starts about kids now, she might not stop, either, and… I don't want any of this, I just want to be with you, but I can't, not the way you deserve it…"

Briefly, Haruka wondered how long Michiru had been carrying these doubts along, without ever mentioning them, and if the disastrous meeting with her mother had finally pushed her over the edge and into admitting them; then, she told herself that this didn't matter for now, that all she had to focus on was making her feel better, finally taking that one step closer to her and wrapping both arms around her again, glad when she wasn't pushed back, the smaller woman stiffening for a moment, then relaxing into the hug.

"It's going to be okay", she tried to reassure her, even though she knew that those words weren't enough, could never be enough, "we're gonna be okay. You know I'm always there for you, right?"

"…yes", Michiru murmured into her shoulder after a few seconds, moments during which she had kept up the fight against the urge to cry until she finally had won; Haruka soothingly rubbed her back in response, and for a while, they just stood there, the taller woman's arms around her and the soft sounds of the ocean finally helping her to calm down.

"Let's go back to the car", she told her driver, after a few deep breaths to get her feelings fully under control again; with a calming smile, Haruka nodded, and after a second, Michiru bravely smiled back… for the first time since that first kiss hiding her true feelings from Haruka, putting on a reassured and calmed façade to hide the tiny seed of doubt she herself had planted in the far back of her mind.

It was tiny, but it was there, and it was nagging.


	7. In Vino Veritas

"…and then I asked if he thought I was born yesterday, and told him that I will take my business somewhere else. Honestly, salespeople today, have they never heard of the customer being king?"

The complaining and the tone of the woman's voice grated on Michiru's nerves, but she carefully hid this emotion, merely smiling politely before she took a sip of her wine; she could already feel the alcohol, the slightest buzz, but taking sips of it was the only way to keep herself from saying something impolite, after this woman, the wife of her husband's boss, had been nagging on and on about her insignificant problems for hours.

The fact that apparently, the waiters had been instructed that no glass should ever be empty didn't help her with keeping control of her intake of alcohol; on any other night, she would have found a way to get something else, but the wine made bearing this woman easier – and made it much easier to bear her husband making doe eyes at a guy at the next table, the guy, to her dismay, looking back at him the same way.

 _One should think that they'd be more discreet than this_ , she thought to herself, hiding her anger at this behaviour just as well as her irritation at the woman who still was nattering on about some unpleasant experience she allegedly had had with a saleswoman, the way he look at this man, I almost expect them to jump each other sooner or later.

The mere thought made her take another drink of wine, a long gulp this time; when she put her glass back down, it was almost empty, and practically ten seconds later, the waiter was there to refill it, the artist not bothering to stop him, picking the glass up again immediately once the elder man had stepped back and taking another sip of the fortunately rather delicious wine, looking at her husband again and narrowing her eyes at his behaviour, asking herself where this might lead during the evening.

* * *

Two hours later, Michiru finally had been released from the annoying company of the elder woman, said woman having found someone else to tell her dramatic tales to; and it was a good thing, too, she thought to herself as she slowly made her way to the ladies room, now regretting that she had let the waiter refill her glass so often.

She was a bit shocked to realize that she had no idea how many glasses she'd actually had had; apparently, it had been at least one too many though, the way she found it hard to walk in a straight line reminding her of the fact that she wasn't all too used to alcohol of any kind.

Not wanting to embarrass her husband by getting stinking drunk at this dinner, a dinner the company held for the managers and project directors, she considered splashing cold water on her face, then realized that this would mess up her make-up and settled for rubbing it onto her neck instead, hoping that it would help as she got done with her business, then made her way back to the dining hall.

"Only water from now on", she murmured to herself, not even noticing that she had spoken out loud but, thankfully, not loud enough to let anyone nearby hear her, "show some self-control."

She nearly forgot this resolution when she saw that her husband's place was empty now, and so was the seat of the man he had been looking at so longingly, the world briefly spinning around her as she wondered if anyone had noticed them leaving together and had realized what was going on.

At least though, apparently, he had waited until his boss had left the table before he had made his exit; not wanting to run into the man and have to awkwardly explain where her husband was, Michiru quickly moved to get her coat, then hurried outside as fast as she dared with her level of inebriation, telling herself that the last thing she needed now was to fall flat on her face.

"Stupid wine", she grumbled to herself as she stepped out of the fancy restaurant, only feeling angrier when she remembered that it was Haruka's day off and that she had driven here with her husband, in his limousine; briefly, she entertained the thought to just have the valet notify the driver so he could take her home, and let her hubbie dearest deal with his own transportation to the house on his own, then decided that this was the alcohol talking and making her mean and spiteful, pushing the idea out of her mind.

For half a minute, she just stood there, then dug out her cell phone, hoping that, even though it was her day off, Haruka would have the phone she had been given with her and would see her message, the fact that her fingers seemed oddly clumsy and that it took her three times longer than usual to type up a short message just another indicator for how close she was to being completely drunk.

 _I know it's your day off_ , she had written, thankful for the autocorrect function, not wanting to imagine how long it would have taken without it, _and I feel bad for asking but do you have time I need someone to pick me up_

Not wanting to stand right in front of the door, where anyone else who might leave could see her, Michiru moved a few steps away while she held the phone in one hand, wondering how long she should wait before giving up and calling a cab… when the phone vibrated in her hand, so unexpected that she nearly dropped it.

Her heart sped up as she pushed the button which displayed the message, and she suddenly was sure that Haruka wrote back some sort of nice, but negative response; it took her a few tries to decipher it, the phone doubling and tripling in front of her eyes, until she moved it closer, feeling immensely relieved when she finally could make out the few words the blonde had written back.

 _Sure, no problem. Address?_

Again, it took her unreasonably long to type up her reply, but finally, she had entered the restaurant's address and sent it; and then, she just stood there as she waited for Haruka to arrive, trying hard to not sway on the spot, her dismay about her state only growing when she realized that she saw every object more than three feet away doubled or even tripled.

"Christ, how much wine did I have", she murmured to herself, only feeling worse when she realized that there was a slight slur in her words; she couldn't remember ever having felt like this before, but clearly, the combination of an over-eager waiter, the annoying CEO's wife and her husband's behaviour had let her throw all caution to the wind, and she felt nauseous as she stood there, asking herself how drunk exactly she was and what Haruka might think ofh her, once she'd arrive.

As if these thoughts had summoned her, a car rounded the corner up ahead, then came to a stop right next to her; it was far from new, even Michiru in her state and with her lack of knowledge about these matters could tell, but it seemed to run smoothly, but she couldn't have cared less, especially when the passenger side door opened and Haruka leaned over from the driver seat, smirking the charming smirk Michiru had grown to like so much as she asked her if she still needed a ride.

"Thank you so much", Michiru sighed out in response, despite her state not missing Haruka raising an eyebrow at her as she carefully got into the car, needing a few tries to buckle her seatbelt, "I dunno where my husband is and I didn't wanna call a cab…"

"Are you drunk?" Haruka demanded to know in response, to her relief not sounding disgusted or annoyed, but simply surprised; unable to hold back a giggle, Michiru nodded, making the blonde raise an eyebrow yet again with her answer.

"The waiter wouldn't stop refilling", she let the taller woman know, giggling again afterwards, "and my husband was being his usual self, and his boss' wife was annoying, so I just kept sipping that wine. It was yummy."

"Obviously", Haruka replied with a chuckle of her own, making Michiru smile somewhat dopily; then, the alcohol at least having one good effect as for once, it let her forget all about how a lady should behave in public, in a car which did not have tinted windows like the limousine, she reached over and placed her hand on Haruka's upper leg, giving it a tender squeeze and making the blonde smirk at her again before her focus returned to the road.

"You know", Michiru broke the silence again half a minute later, not caring about the slur in her voice anymore, "I've never seen you in your casual clothes before, only ever in the uniform. You look nice."

"Thank you?" Haruka gave back, glancing down at herself – she wasn't wearing anything all too special, just a dark blue t-shirt and jeans and her comfortable sneakers –, "that's nice of you to say."

"But you have no tie", Michiru pouted, making her smirk yet again as she asked herself how much wine exactly the artist had had, "that's bad. I can't pull you closer if you have no tie."

"That would be dangerous right now, anyway", the blonde pointed out in reply, "cause I'm driving. But we're almost there."

"Good", the smaller woman murmured, letting her head fall back against the headrest, "cause I'm tired."

"You better drink some water and take an aspirin before you go to sleep though", Haruka advised, smirking again when Michiru looked at her questioningly, "to help with the hangover tomorrow. Trust me, it works."

"Huh", Michiru let out in response, not all too smart, but not able to think of anything else to say; and so, the rest of the drive happened in silence, the artist feeling giggly again though by the time Haruka stopped the car in front of the mansion, asking herself if everyone reacted to alcohol like this or if she just was an exceptionally happy drunk.

"Thanks", she smiled as Haruka opened the door for her, just like she did whenever she drove her somewhere in the fancy limousine; upon getting out though, she nearly lost her footing, the combination of alcohol and high heels turning out to be a bad one, and only Haruka's fast reaction kept her from falling, the blonde catching her and wrapping both arms around her in an attempt to keep her upright.

"Wow", Michiru murmured as she almost hung in the taller woman's arms, steadying herself against her chest with one hand, "that was quick. And good. I almost fell!"

She giggled, but made no attempt to regain her footing, forcing Haruka to keep holding her; the driver didn't mind much though, quite enjoying the feeling of holding her so close, smiling when Michiru giggled again as she looked up at her.

"You saved me", the smaller woman stated, interrupting herself for a moment with another giggle, "you're so nice. And so cute. And blonde. You're my blondie bear."

"Okay", Haruka replied with a small laugh of her own, "that's… nice, I guess, but you should really get some sleep now. Come on, I'll take you to the bedroom."

"Oh yes", Michiru purred, finally managing to get back on her own feet, Haruka keeping an arm around her though just in case, "get me to the bedroom. No, wait, you can't. I told my hussand he can't do that there so I can't either. My husband, I mean."

She let out a rather dramatic sigh as Haruka began steering her towards the house, and by the time they had made it inside and up to the first floor, where the bedroom was, the giggly phase had passed and she was tired again; the moment she saw the bed, she felt even more tired, and simply fell onto it, not even caring that she still was wearing her fancy evening dress.

Rolling over onto her back, she got comfortable; part of her still noticed that Haruka removed her shoes for her, then sleep came quicker than expected, the last thing she consciously noticed before she drifted off into dreamland being Haruka sitting down on the other side of the bed and telling her to sleep well, a small smile curling her lips as she was fast asleep just seconds later.


	8. Hangover Cure

"Oh God." Michiru uttered those two words into the pillow as she squeezed her eyes shut against the way too bright sunlight; she cursed herself for foolishly opening her eyes without thinking, now fighting the urge to clutch her head with both hands, asking herself how people could get drunk on a regular basis if _this_ was what awaited them the morning after.

"Oh God", she repeated, trying to hide her face even deeper in the pillow, her head now feeling as if a malicious little construction worker had snuck in while she had been asleep and now was tormenting her brain with his tools. She could almost see him, in his little yellow hardhat and his little orange vest, with his little jackhammer, a tool he used to remodel her brain cells, switching to a little saw every now and then just so things wouldn't get boring.

She was so focused on her headache and the queasy feeling in her stomach that she almost didn't hear the door open; then, her eyes snapped open as she realized, somewhat mortified, that this might be her husband, not wanting him to see her in this state, but painfully aware of the fact that it was too late to escape to the bathroom.

"Hey", a familiar voice, and one much more welcome than her husband's, reached her ears, allowing her to relax again; not wanting to risk moving too fast, Michiru turned onto her back, even managing a weak smile as her eyes met Haruka's, the artist noticing the tray in her driver's hands a moment later.

"Breakfast", Haruka smirked, "in fact, special hangover breakfast. Orange juice, water, eggs, tomatoes, and toast with honey. I suggest you start with the water, you must be thirsty."

"I am", Michiru mumbled, giving her a grateful look as she moved over to the bed and sat the tray down on the nightstand; the tall glass of water was the first thing she grabbed, and gulped half of it down at once, grimacing at how little this helped against the dryness of her mouth and throat.

"Please tell me you didn't tell the cook I need a hangover breakfast", she then brought out, with a worried look at the blonde; chuckling, Haruka shook her head, making her smile weakly again, a smile which widened slightly when the taller woman gave a more detailed answer.

"I just told her what I need", Haruka let her know, "not sure if she knows it's a hangover breakfast, but I think that, if she does, she won't care. I imagine she's seen worse, she's been working for… rich people for a while."

"For people like me, you wanted to say", Michiru corrected her with a wry smile, "but while there are people who get drunk on a regular basis, thankfully, I am not one of them. Not sure about my husband."

"Well, she didn't look at me oddly when I told her, so I figured she doesn't know", Haruka gave back, feeling a bit awkward now, as she usually did whenever Michiru mentioned her husband and unwittingly reminded her of the fact that she was an affair and not truly a partner, thoughts she hid well though, not letting Michiru notice, "and either way, you better eat up. Trust me, it'll help with your stomach, and it might help with the headache, too… and if it doesn't, a painkiller is better on a full stomach than an empty one."

"You certainly know a lot about this", Michiru remarked before she lifted the glass of water to her mouth again; this time, she didn't miss that Haruka suddenly looked decidedly awkward, the blonde clearing her throat noisily before she mumbled a brief reply.

"I had a bit of a… problem with alcohol, a while ago", she let the artist know, telling herself that she might as well be honest and that lying to her about this wasn't an option, "but not anymore. And, well, my roomie still gets drunk every now and then, so I get to make this for her. I would have made it for you too, but your cook is a like a dragon in this kitchen, only she hoards condiments instead of gold."

At this, the laughter burst out of Michiru, unstoppable and more genuine than Haruka ever had heard her laugh; and this time, it touched her heart as she knew that it was real, not caused by alcohol, and not even close to the fake polite titter she always gave when one of her acquaintances said something they thought of as amusing.

"You have a beautiful laugh", Haruka told her before she could think about the words too much, and decide that they were too corny or not fitting for the state of their relationship, if what they had even could be called that, smiling at the surprised look Michiru gave her in response.

"It's true", she reassured the artist, before Michiru could get the idea to tell her it wasn't, "you should laugh more often."

"Ladies don't laugh", Michiru told her with a small sigh, making her raise an eyebrow, "that's what I was taught, until I believed it. We titter. Sometimes, we giggle. But we don't laugh."

"Well, you know", Haruka gave back, reaching up with one hand to cup her cheek, smiling again when Michiru leaned into her touch without hesitating for even a second, "you don't have to be a lady when you're with me."

Visibly touched by her words, Michiru smiled at her, at a loss for words; the blonde briefly smiled back at her, then leaned in for a kiss, only for the artist to surprise her by placing both hands against her chest.

"My husband", she explained at the startled look Haruka gave her, "and I must have terrible morning breath!"

"Your husband isn't home", Haruka told her in response, briefly making her wonder how she knew this before she shrugged it off as unimportant, "and I care about the morning breath as little as you need to be perfectly ladylike around me all the time. You don't have to be perfect when you're with me, Michiru."

Once again, Michiru found herself not knowing what she could respond to this, how she could tell Haruka that this was the first time in her life that someone had told her she didn't need to be perfect; and so, she just swallowed heavily – before she, like the very first time they had kissed, grabbed her collar and pulled her closer, the breakfast forgotten as she kissed her deeply, trying to put all the things she couldn't say into the kiss, silently asking herself what she had done to deserve this woman in her life.


	9. Words That Go Unspoken

"I don't know, Michiru", Haruka said doubtfully, looking at the flyer Michiru had somewhat proudly given to her right after she had gotten into the limousine, "I mean, I'd love to look at your art, but I'm not sure I will… fit in."

"Perhaps not", Michiru had to admit, even though she knew that this wasn't exactly helpful, thus quickly speaking on before her driver had the chance to reply anything, "but… you're the only person I really want to be there. My husband will be there and my parents, but if you're not… I just really want you there."

"And I'd love to be there with you", Haruka let her know, "but won't people think it's weird that your driver, of all people, is there? And what if your husband or your parents notice something, or one of your friends?"

"I have no friends", Michiru replied, unaware of how the easy indifference with which she said those words cut into Haruka's heart, "I have acquaintances. A few of those saw you and might remember you, especially Hitomi since she commented on how hot you are, but they'll think nothing of you being there. As for my husband, if he didn't figure out by now that something is going on between us, he won't notice there, either, and my parents are too convinced that their great plan to marry me off worked, so I doubt they will be the ones to figure out that we're more than employer and employee. Also, as I can't stress this enough, I really want you to be there."

"Good points", Haruka had to admit, "and, well, you know I can't say no to you, so fine. I'll be there. In my fancy new suit no less, so I'll look good for you."

"Thank you", Michiru smiled, leaning forward so she could demand a brief, but gentle kiss; the blonde smiled back at her, then settled into the driver seat comfortably, giving Michiru a brief questioning look and prompting her to tell her where she should take her.

"To the gallery", the artist replied, leaning back into the seat; Haruka let out a vaguely agreeing noise, taking the time to switch on soft classical music before she drove off, Michiru looking out the window during the drive, but glancing at her every now and then, smiling slightly to herself each time she looked at the blonde, the thought of Haruka joining her for the grand opening of her very own exhibition making her feel a deep-seated joy she never had known before.

* * *

During the days until the event, Haruka kept asking herself if agreeing to go on the opening night had been a good idea, after all; whenever Michiru mentioned it though, or asked her to drive her to the gallery, her eyes started to shine with a happiness the blonde hadn't seen from her about her life otherwise, and she couldn't bring herself to voice her doubts, not wanting to disappoint Michiru when her attendance clearly meant so much to her.

Still, as she walked into the gallery, in her fancy new suit and the new shirt and new tie Michiru had bought for her, she felt out of place despite of at least visually fitting in; she knew some of the people standing around, having seem them when she had driven Michiru to the café she often visited with her acquaintances and having seen the artist's mother during a similar occasion, and she knew them all to be rich, members of high society and a world she knew next to nothing of.

"A drink, Sir?" a voice from her right distracted her, making her glance at the waiter who had appeared out of nowhere, carrying a tray filled with champagne glasses; not bothering to correct his mistake, she just shook her head, and he moved on without missing a beat, giving her a few more seconds to look at the attendants before Michiru spotted her.

"Haruka", her employer called out to her, ignoring the look her mother shot her for this, the elder woman clearly not pleased by how her daughter was raising her voice, not saying anything though as Michiru already was moving away from her and to the blonde, "you made it, I'm so glad."

"Yeah, well", Haruka gave back, momentarily forgetting how uncomfortable she felt at how happy Michiru was to have her there, "my employer was nice enough to give me tonight off, so I could come here."

"How kind of her", Michiru replied with a small smile, briefly reaching out and touching the taller woman's hand, just for a second so no one would notice; Haruka had a moment to smile at her, then someone called out for her and, with an apologetic look at the blonde, Michiru turned to focus on the woman who was clamouring for her attention, Haruka standing there awkwardly for a moment or two before she moved to one of the paintings and gave it a closer look.

"Isn't it marvellous", a male voice commented next to her, making her look over; she was somewhat surprised to find Michiru's husband standing there, a slim man a few inches shorter than her, something she never really had noticed during the short period she had been driving him, before she had started working exclusively for Michiru, "my wife has such talent."

"Indeed", Haruka replied, not quite sure if he recognized her and, if he did, if he knew that she was sleeping with his wife; now he did glance at her, and from the once-over he gave her, she figured that he knew something, perhaps only a vague suspicion she might have confirmed by simply showing up to this event.

Her mind raced as she tried to remember what Michiru had said about her husband and the things he might know; he glanced at her and smirked, sounding amused when he spoke up again, keeping his voice low though so no one else in the room would hear.

"Relax", he told her, making her look back at him, their eyes meeting, "or people are gonna start wondering why you are so tense. Don't you know that high society women are awfully nosy?"

Not sure what to reply to this, Haruka just shrugged; he gave her another smirk, then winked at her, prompting her to raise an eyebrow, but before she could inquire, he focused on the painting again, speaking on without giving her the chance to say anything.

"It's fascinating, really", he stated, gesturing at the painting as if to make sure Haruka knew what he was talking about, "I wonder where she got this talent from, from what I know, her parents aren't very artistically inclined. Michiru, on the other hand… I admire how she combines all those styles in her work, like this painting, it's like a mix of Gericault and Magritte, truly fascinating."

"Uhm, yes?" Haruka replied, having no idea who these people were; if he had noticed, Michiru's husband didn't comment, but just kept talking, about brush strokes and perspective and the play of shadows on surfaces, until the blonde felt tempted to have some champagne after all, feeling oddly inadequate as she had no idea what the man was talking about.

"My dear", Michiru interrupted that rather dangerous train of thought, and for a second Haruka thought that she meant her, until she remembered that they were out in public with her husband and that she was addressing him that way, for the ears of the people around them, "are you boring people with the vocabulary you learned from my books on art again?"

"Michiru, honey", her husband replied, smiling despite her not all too kind words, "at least I know the words, unlike some other people here."

He didn't look at Haruka as he said those words, and she was quite sure that she wasn't the only one in this room who had no idea about art; still it stung, and clearly, Michiru had picked up on it, giving him a hard look before she took hold of his arm, smiling a sweet fake smile at him as she told him that there were some people from the gallery she wanted him to meet.

She gave Haruka a brief apologetic glance, then steered her husband away from the taller woman; for half a minute, Haruka just stood there, feeling lost and awkward and out of place, the temptation to have champagne strong again, despite the very clear knowledge where just a single glass of the stuff might lead.

Forcing those thoughts out of her head, Haruka made her way to the exit, the snippets of conversation she caught during the short walk to the door only making her feel worse; she had no idea what these people were talking about, feeling as out of place as Michiru probably would have felt at the bars she had frequented before she had stopped drinking, suddenly asking herself why exactly Michiru would be with her, if she could probably have her pick from people who were closer to her level of knowledge and sophistication.

 _Well, apparently, she enjoys slumming it for a bit_ , she grumpily thought to herself, doubts she'd harboured when all of this had started coming back to the surface, dark thoughts about Michiru only using her until she found someone on her level, something which surely couldn't take long, not for someone as beautiful and skilled at high society pastimes like Michiru.

Stepping outside at last, she stopped, not quite sure where to go; she didn't want to leave without saying goodbye, but on the other hand, Michiru would be busy in there for at least a few hours, and standing around in there without having a clue wasn't an option.

The door opened behind her, prompting her to step away from it so she wouldn't be in the way, without bothering to look who was coming out; and thus, she was quite surprised when Michiru spoke up next to her, sounding uneasy and a bit worried.

"Haruka?" she inquired, raising her hand as if to touch her, than thinking different about it, remembering that there were a bunch of people who knew her inside, people who might be watching, "is something wrong?"

"No", the blonde denied without thinking about it, then sighed as Michiru just raised an eyebrow, "well, yes. Kind of, but this is not the right time to discuss it. You have an exhibition to show off, you should get back to that."

"…yes", Michiru had to admit, not liking the thought of leaving this, whatever it was, hanging, "afraid so. We'll talk later…?"

"Sure", Haruka gave back, earning a tentative smile from Michiru; she made herself smile back, and after briefly touching her hand again, in a helpless attempt to reassure her, Michiru moved back inside while Haruka made her way to the mansion, knowing that there was no way to avoid that certain talk, and that she might as well face it head-on the moment Michiru returned to her home.

* * *

"I hope my husband didn't say anything to make you uncomfortable", Michiru stated several hours later, after she had found Haruka in her room at the mansion, hours during which the blonde, unbeknownst to her, had had time to stew in her doubt and dark thoughts about being used, "or any of the other guests? They didn't give you grief for being there as my guest when you work for me, did they?"

"No", Haruka let her know, a small sigh following, before Michiru could feel relief, "it just… crap, I don't know, your husband sprouted all these smart things about your artwork, and I just stood there, not having the slightest idea what he was talking about. And from what the other people were saying, they were speaking about things I know nothing about, as well, and I just… I don't know, I guess I just fully realized how little I fit in with… your people."

Briefly, Michiru thought back to the time at the pier after the disastrous lunch with her mother, a few days ago; back then, she had been the one who'd had doubts, who had asked herself why Haruka would put up with this, the thought that now, their roles obviously had been reversed nearly making her panic as she realized that she had no idea how to deal with this.

"Haruka", she still started, only to fall silent, not knowing what to say; suddenly not knowing what to do with her hands, she ran one of them through her hair, then moved them both to the hem of her blouse, nervously fiddling with it as she tried to figure out how to continue.

"Don't do this", she finally said, shifting her weight from one foot to the other, not even trying to hide how nervous she suddenly was, "I don't know what to say to make this better, but…"

She let go of her blouse to reach out with one hand, glad that at least, Haruka didn't move away from her touch; she didn't return it though, either, simply letting it happen that Michiru placed her hand on her arm, just briefly looking at it before her gaze came up again to meet the smaller woman's.

"A while ago, you wondered why I put up with this", she stated, confirming Michiru's dreadful suspicion about the reason for her dismay, "now I wonder why you put up with me. Come on, you're way out of my league, all I can give you is sex in the back of that limo. You can get that elsewhere, from someone who knows what you are talking about when you tell them about the perspective and brush strokes of your paintings."

"That's not all you give me", Michiru protested at once, shaking her head as if to underline her words, "and you know that! Yes, you might be right, if I wanted someone from my league, as you put it, I might find that, but I don't want that. I don't want a shallow rich girl, I want… someone who's real, and honest, and sweet, genuinely sweet, not because they hope to gain something."

She wanted to say so much more, tell Haruka about how only she made her feel human, made her feel like more than just the trophy daughter and wife her parents had raised her to be; she wanted to tell her how important she was to her, how she was the one who had rescued her from the loneliness she had felt even when she had been surrounded by people, but the words just wouldn't come, so all she could do was look at her helplessly, and ask herself what all her education and knowledge was good for if she couldn't even put words to such simple truths.

"You told me you want me, when I had doubts", she finally tried again, since Haruka wasn't saying anything, "and now I tell you that I want you. Haruka, please…"

For a few more moments, dreadful seconds which seemed to take forever to tick by, Haruka still didn't react, neither moving, nor saying anything; and then, she finally did move, stepping closer to Michiru and pulling her into a tentative, but tender embrace, a shudder running through the smaller woman as she relaxed in her driver's arms.

"We can make this work", she murmured into the blonde's shoulder as she hugged her back, not quite sure if she was talking to Haruka or to herself; she felt Haruka nod, her relief only growing… but she never looked up, and thus, she never saw the doubt on her driver's face.


	10. Weekend Trip

Even though she had tried to convince Haruka and herself that they could make this work, Michiru found herself thinking back to their talk again and again, replaying what the blonde had said to her over and over, until she was sure that quite soon, she would start dreaming of the dreadful minutes during which Haruka had voiced her doubts about whatever it was they had going on between them.

She could tell that Haruka was still thinking about it, as well, sometimes appearing distracted when they were talking or even when they were having sex in the back of the limousine; and thus, Michiru decided that she had to do something, some gesture to show Haruka that she wanted her and only her, and this time, just buying her something wouldn't do, it had to be something else, something… better, and more from the heart.

She thought about this for a few days, had some ideas, ditched them, put others on her mental shelf for closer examination; and then, the answer came easier and faster than expected, to her slight amusement aided by her husband when he let her know that he would be gone from Friday to Tuesday, an important business trip he couldn't avoid.

"Take care, dear", she told him in response, a plan already forming in her mind, "and I hope everything goes well."

If he was surprised by this reassurance, he didn't let it show, but simply smiled and nodded; and the moment he had left her alone again to finalize the details for his trip, Michiru started some planning of her own, smiling to herself the entire time as she already looked forward to Haruka's reaction.

* * *

Wanting to surprise Haruka as much as possible, Michiru gave her as little information as she could; she only told her to make sure she had the weekend free from Friday evening to Sunday evening, that she should wear her fancy new suit, and bring an extra shirt, something Haruka accepted with mild curiosity, but no questions.

When Michiru had told her these things, Haruka had thought that she'd need her to drive her to some event Friday evening, and to another one on Saturday; thus, she didn't question her instructions, but merely followed them, and was quite surprised when she arrived at the mansion Friday at six and found another chauffeur standing next to the limo.

Confused, but not asking the man what was going on, she made her way inside instead; to her relief, she found Michiru waiting for her in the entrance hall, the artist smiling pleasantly at her as she moved up to her and, to her ever growing surprise, greeted her with a brief, but tender kiss, something she never had done in the house before, always mindful that someone might walk in on them.

"Hello", the smaller woman almost purred after the kiss, making Haruka feel quite weak in the knees, "I'm glad you're here on time. We wouldn't want to keep the driver waiting."

"I thought you need me to drive you somewhere", Haruka replied, not feeling all too smart, but not sure what else to say either, completely lost now that her vague idea of what the weekend would entail had been pretty much shattered; smiling, Michiru shook her head, stepping even closer to her, making her wonder about the housekeeper and the cook and the other people working for her, people who might walk in any moment, when she tenderly ran her fingertips down her front, sending shivers up and down her spine.

"For this weekend", Michiru told her, her hand snaking from her stomach around her waist and coming to a tender rest on her back, "you are not my driver, you are my guest. And stop glancing around, I gave them all the day off, the housekeeper is only coming back at eight to make sure no one tries to break in."

"Uhm", Haruka let out, a bit surprised by how easily Michiru had noticed her nervous glances and had read them correctly, "…okay? Then… where are we going?"

"Now, now, my dear", Michiru chided in response, giving her a chance to notice how different she sounded when she called her that, compared to how it sounded when she had used the endearment for her husband, "that would ruin the surprise. You'll just have to trust me."

"Okay", Haruka replied, with a small shrug, "I'll let you surprise me, then. But, uhm, the driver? Won't he know I'm not, you know, your hubbie?"

"No", Michiru replied with a slight smile, "he's from another agency, not yours, and he's been hired for this weekend only. I had time to plan this, and I do like to think I planned it well. Now, shall we?"

"Sure", Haruka agreed, curious, but figuring that asking would lead nowhere; Michiru smiled at her again, stealing another gentle kiss before she stepped back slightly, to the blonde's slight regret removing her hand from her back in the process, her smile widening when the taller woman offered her arm.

"How gentlemanly", she stated as she hooked her hand into the crook of Haruka's arm; smirking, Haruka shrugged, letting her know that, if she was her guest for the weekend, she might as well act like it, earning another brief kiss before they left the house together and made their way to the limousine, the driver greeting them politely, making Haruka feel decidedly surreal as for once, she got into the roomy back of the car to be driven, and not to have sex with her employer.

"I'd offer champagne from the mini bar, but you don't drink, do you?" Michiru half asked, half stated, keeping her voice low so the driver wouldn't hear, "there's some juice in here though too, if you'd like some?"

"Juice is fine", Haruka agreed, briefly wondering how Michiru knew that she didn't drink – until she remembered the morning after she had picked a drunk Michiru up from some fancy dinner, and had mentioned her problem with alcohol when she had presented her with a hangover breakfast, impressed that the artist still remembered that, considering the state she had been in when she had been given that particular piece of information.

"If you want some champagne though, go for it", she added while Michiru opened the tiny fridge and handed her a bottle of apple juice, "I don't mind if other people drink next to me."

"No, I'm good, thank you", Michiru reassured her, helping herself to a bottle of the same juice she had given Haruka, "after the last time I had alcohol, I'm not all too keen on having any again anytime soon. That hangover bothered me for the whole day!"

"I noticed", Haruka chuckled, earning a slight huff from the smaller woman; then, Michiru smiled again, seeing the humour of the situation – classy and refined as she was, the hangover had made her whiny and had given her a dire need for snuggles, something Haruka had fulfilled more than gladly.

"Kind of a pity though", the blonde then said, making Michiru raise an eyebrow questioningly, and prompting her to speak on, "cause you were kinda cute when you were drunk. You called me blondie bear."

"Please don't remind me of that", Michiru groaned, going as far as covering her eyes and making Haruka chuckle again, the driver who was taken them to the mysterious destination the artist had chosen for them forgotten as she wrapped both arms around the smaller woman and pulled her closer.

"But it was cute", she repeated, still smirking while Michiru groaned yet again, "I don't think anyone ever called me that before."

"And it won't happen again anytime soon", the artist let her know, smiling when Haruka stuck out her lower lip as an answer, "but don't pout, because I have other, more fitting endearments for you… my dear."

Suddenly feeling bold, not quite sure what had brought it on, but not fighting the urge, either, Michiru leaned forward slightly, so she could lightly nip at the blonde's still protruding lower lip; Haruka had a moment to squawk, fortunately in surprise, not in pain, Michiru distracting her from the unexpected sensation by kissing her quite deeply moments later, not caring about the driver behind the limousine's wheel or about the fact that they were still in the city, fully focused on the woman she was going to share this special weekend with.

* * *

"Wow", Haruka let out two hours later, unable to keep the appreciation out of her voice and making Michiru smile at her reaction, "this place looks great."

"I'm glad to hear that", Michiru smiled, then briefly left her standing there so she could tell the driver that he was free to leave and that he wouldn't be needed until Sunday evening, making sure he'd be discreet about the rather passionate kisses Haruka and she had shared in the back of the car by slipping a rather generous tip into his hand, making him smile brightly at her as he tipped his hat slightly and thanked her.

She just smiled at him in reply, then left him to take the car back to town while she moved back to where Haruka was still admiring the hotel; it wasn't quite the standard Michiru was used to, but it had looked luxurious enough when she had booked the room, and the fact that it only had four stars and not five should be enough to make sure that she wouldn't run into anyone she knew.

"I've never been in such a fancy place before", Haruka let her know as she moved to her side again, briefly making her worry that her great idea hadn't been so great after all, but only would remind Haruka of how different their circumstances were; to her relief though, this apparently wasn't the case, the blonde not looking upset or even put-off, but simply fascinated, taking in the beautiful building, making Michiru wonder how she'd react once she'd actually see the room.

"I booked us the best suite they have", Michiru let her know while Haruka picked up her rather modest duffel bag and the prettier suitcase Michiru had brought, "all sorts of spa treatments included, if we want them, and a nice seven course dinner for tomorrow evening."

"Wow", Haruka repeated her earlier statement, "such luxury. What did I do to deserve this?"

"You're you, that's all", Michiru replied, smiling when Haruka blushed visibly in reply; the sight was so adorable to her that she wanted to jump the blonde right there, but she held the urge back, telling herself that it could wait until they had made it to their room.

With that thought in mind, she led Haruka inside, to the reception desk; there, she let the finely dressed employee know that she had booked a suite for two, for Michiru Kaioh, smiling pleasantly at the young man when he handed her a key card in response and wished "her and her husband" a nice stay.

"Someone will be along to help with your luggage", he then added, "you can reach room service by dialling one on the room phone, if you need to call an outside number, pre-dial zero or it won't get through."

"Thank you", Michiru replied, having heard a variant of this little speech a hundred times by now, in hotels all over the country; the clerk gave her another smile in response, then another young man came bustling over to get their luggage, chatting mindlessly about the hotel and all the nice things they could do in town as he carried their bags to the elevator.

Not really listening to him, Michiru kept glancing at Haruka as they rode up to the top floor in the elevator; she did like seeing her in the suit she had bought for her, one which fit her just right, but right now, all she wanted was to see that suit crumpled on the floor in front of the bed, only the self-control she had been taught keeping her from grabbing the blonde then and there, right next to the hotel employee.

She took in a controlled, deep breath, not wanting the man to notice anything; apparently, Haruka did though, giving her a curious glance, not saying anything though, mindful of the man with their luggage in front of them, still chatting away about how nice the town was.

Thankfully, the way from the elevator to the suite wasn't long, and after Michiru had tipped him, the guy took his leave; Michiru waited until he was back in the elevator, then unlocked the door, letting Haruka enter first, smiling at the look of delight which appeared on the taller woman's face as she got her first look at the suite.

"Wow", the driver let out, glancing around, impressed by the luxuriously soft looking bed, the clearly expensive furniture and the big flatscreen TV in one corner, nodding when Michiru moved up to her and asked her if she liked it.

"I'm glad", the smaller woman smiled, placing one hand on her back, "because this is all just for you."

"And it's not even my birthday", Haruka smirked as she went to sit on the bed, making Michiru realize that she didn't know the blonde's birthday; before she could ask though, Haruka patted the spot next to herself, and immediately, all those thoughts flew out the window as the image of the suit lying crumpled on the floor took over again in Michiru's mind.

"It might not be your birthday", she thus murmured, shifting on the bed slightly so she could look at her without craning her neck, "but you're about to get a present, anyway."

With a smile Haruka could only describe as coy, Michiru reached out and ran her hand up her thigh, to her belt; the blonde just had a moment to give her an appreciative smirk, then Michiru wrapped her fingers around the taller woman's tie, once more demonstrating why she liked her wearing it as she pulled her closer for a kiss, her heart skipping a beat in excitement when Haruka's hands slid to the zipper at the back of her dress.

* * *

In the next morning, Michiru was the first one to wake up; and she was glad about it, she thought to herself as she laid there, Haruka right behind her, so close that their bodies were touching, one arm drooped over waist, her breath pleasantly warm when she felt it on her neck.

She tried to remember if she ever had been held like this in bed before, but couldn't; she did share a bed with her husband, but they never touched when they slept, and usually, he was out of bed by the time she'd wake up.

She could barely believe how good this felt, even though it was such a simple thing, just another naked body next to her own; and she would be able to enjoy this for another night, she happily thought to herself, after a day she'd spend with Haruka and no one else, and after the dinner she had booked for them.

Carefully, not wanting to wake the blonde, Michiru turned to she could look at her, studying her face as she slept peacefully; she congratulated herself on this idea, telling herself that surely, a weekend like this would take Haruka's doubt away, and would show her that she wanted her, only her, and not any of the rich girls the blonde had thought were a better match for her.

Apparently, she had looked to intensely though, as Haruka let out an adorable little snore, then sleepily blinked her eyes; their gazes met, and even though she didn't appear to be fully awake yet, the taller woman smiled slightly, her voice even lower and huskier than usual when she mumbled "Good morning", sending pleasant shivers up and down Michiru's spine.

"Best morning", she murmured in reply, moving closer for a kiss afterwards; and as she felt Haruka's embrace around her tighten, she knew yet again that she had done the right thing, convinced that, against all odds, they'd be able to make this work.


	11. Sneaking Out

Michiru hadn't been at the event for even an hour yet, and already she was bored to tears. Until this very moment, she hadn't known it was possible to be this bored; she had sat through many of those events after all in her life, at first with her parents, then with her husband, but this one had to be a new low.

The man on stage, the CEO of the company her husband was working for, kept yammering on and on, as he had been doing for the last forty-five minutes; at least, they all had seats and didn't have to stand during the talk, but still Michiru felt like leaving at once, not willing to listen to another minute of the man's babbling.

Briefly, she wished for a better relationship with her husband, just so she'd have the possibility to lean over and make a snide comment about the CEOs tendency to ramble; since they barely spoke during the rare times when they both were at home though, she kept quiet, deciding to save the snide remarks for later, for when she'd be with someone much more pleasant than her husband and his colleagues and their wives.

At least, she observed, the people next to her appeared to be just as bored; the woman right next to her looked as if she was about to fall asleep on the spot, and one seat farther, the man occupying it was going as far as toying with his phone, holding it low in his lap so nobody would see.

Momentarily, Michiru wasn't sure if she should dare to do the same; her phone was within easy reach, in her handbag which sat on her lap, but if anyone should notice… Then, she decided that she didn't care what these people thought of her and, after a quick look around just to make sure, carefully pulled her phone out, keeping it hidden behind her bag so only those right next to her would be able to see it as she unlocked the screen.

A quick glance to her right told her that her husband was fully focused on the man still talking on stage, briefly making her wonder if he really was listening so intently or if he was daydreaming and just looked so concentrated; then, she focused on her phone again, quickly opening the messenger and typing in a short message.

 _I hope you're having more fun than me._

Once she had sent the message, she made sure that her phone was on vibrate only and wouldn't start blaring when she'd receive an answer; after she had reassured herself of that, she made herself look at the CEO again, managing to keep her focus on him for a full minute, until the phone vibrated in her hand.

 _That bad?_ Haruka had kept her reply short, but still those two words were enough to make her smile slightly; she glanced around again, making sure no one was watching her, then quickly typed in her answer, her husband briefly looking at her, then focusing on the CEO again, the man, to Michiru's astonishment, still talking.

 _Worse,_ she let her driver know _, honestly, I am bored to tears. And worried I might fall asleep if he doesn't stop soon._

 _Sounds awful,_ the reply came shortly afterwards, _poor you. But hey, I can make you feel better later?_

This made her smile, but simultaneously, made her long for this whole even to be over fast; she knew that this wouldn't happen though, not with a dinner after the CEOs speech and the socializing and "networking" her husband would insist on doing.

 _Much later, sadly,_ she thus wrote back, holding back a sigh, not wanting to gain her husband's attention, _dinner after the speech and after that, possibly drinks, too. But now at least I have something to look forward to._

 _That you do :-)_ , Haruka answered quickly yet again, the little smiley face she had added making Michiru smile again, as well; and just when she started to type in her reply, the CEO finished his speech at last, forcing her to stop and put her phone back into the bag so she could politely applaud with the rest of the guests.

"Finally he is done", her husband surprised her, keeping his voice low so no one else but her would hear, "I thought he'd never stop, and I'm starving."

"I felt the same", she let him know once she had gotten over her surprise, having been sure, after all, that he was enraptured by what the man had been saying; he briefly smiled at her, then offered her his arm as the guests started to rise from their seats, and she took it without hesitation, well aware that they were here as husband and wife, and should act accordingly.

 _What would these people think, if they knew the truth_ , she thought to herself as they walked to the dining room, involuntarily asking herself how many of these couples were as happily married as they seemed to be and for how many, it was an act, like for her husband and her, _that he brings his special friend to our bedroom while I amuse myself with my driver in the limousine?_

That alone probably would have been enough to make several people in this room gasp; the thought of what their reaction would be, should they find out that her driver was actually female, forced her to hold back an amused smirk, an expression which would have been quite unfitting for the moment.

They reached their table, her husband pulling her chair out for her before he sat down himself; at least, Michiru thought to herself as she straightened her dress after having sat down, they hadn't been seated with complete strangers, but with another couple their age, people they had spoken to at such gatherings before and knew just well enough to make sure they wouldn't spend the evening in awkward silence.

"How nice that we are seated together", the female half of said couple clearly had the same thoughts, smiling at Michiru, "it's been a while, how are you doing, Michiru?"

"Oh, fine, thank you", Michiru replied with a rather fake smile, none of the others at the table realizing how fake it was though, "and you?"

She feigned interest when the other woman answered in form of gushing about how great everything was; all she wanted was for time to pass fast though so she could finally be with Haruka, barely managing to not fidget on her seat as she pretended to be highly captivated by the conversation, taking unobtrusive glances at her watch every now and then as she wondered how long exactly they would have to stay at this event.

* * *

Two hours later, it seemed as if the event wouldn't end any time soon, much to Michiru's chagrin; dinner had been eaten, and now, people were drinking wine and cocktails and talking, her husband standing with some people he worked with and apparently having quite the good time, forcing her to hold back a grimace as she realized they might be here for a few more hours, at the least.

Deciding she didn't want to wait that long, Michiru quickly let the woman who had chosen her for small talk know that she had to make a quick trip to the washroom; and as she went there, she quickly pulled out her phone, hurriedly typing as she walked, glancing up every now and then to make sure she wouldn't bump into anyone.

 _This is taking too long_ , she wrote, stopping in front of the ladies room, _meet me at the car in five?_

She hoped that this would be enough time for Haruka to make her way from the room where the chauffeurs were hanging out to the garage as she already got moving, glancing around to make sure no one was noticing where she was going; the phone vibrated in her hand just as she pushed the door leading to the stairway open, a smile curling her lips as she glanced at the screen and saw Haruka's confirmation.

Hurriedly, she made her way downstairs, to the large garage in which the limousines of those who had been brought by their drivers were parked; her steps echoed quite loudly as she walked to her car, feeling a bit awkward once she reached it and just stood there, realizing that Haruka had the key.

To her relief though, she didn't need to wait for long, footsteps echoing through the garage just a minute later; and not long after that, Haruka came strolling up to the car, giving her that smirk she had grown to like so much and which, as always, made her decidedly weak in the knees, her heart skipping an exciting beat when she smiled back at the blonde.

"We don't have much time", she let Haruka know as soon as she was within earshot, "this dreadful event is still going strong, I just excused myself to the washroom, so…"

"So we better make good use of the time we have", the taller woman finished for her, unlocking the limousine with a brief push of the key's button; nodding, Michiru got in first, and the moment Haruka had joined her and had pulled the door close behind her, Michiru pulled her close and kissed her deeply, a shudder running through her when she felt the blonde's hand slide beneath her dress, the fact that they didn't have much time clearly not having slipped Haruka's mind.

Thanks to oxygen becoming an issue, she had to pull back from the kiss, a low moan escaping her when the taller woman's fingers found an exceptionally good spot; simultaneously, Haruka moved to kiss the sensitive skin of her throat, the way her breath quickened in response telling the driver everything she needed to know.

Closing her eyes, Michiru leaned her head back to give her better access, tightening her embrace around her when her pleasure grew even further – only to freeze seconds later as footsteps came up outside, Haruka doing the same a second later, both holding perfectly still as they listened, voices soon accompanying the steps as whoever was walking out there got closer to the car.

"…a nice evening", they heard a man say, Michiru once more glad that the limousine had tinted windows and thus spared her the indignity of having to duck, "but that man truly talked way too long. I could hear the stomach of the guy next to me growl!"

"Indeed", a female voice agreed, fading again as the couple kept walking, "one should think he knows by now that…"

"My goodness", Michiru breathed as soon as she could be sure the strangers were out of earshot, "for a moment I thought they'd notice us."

"Good thing the windows are tinted", Haruka gave back, saying out loud what Michiru had been thinking just moments ago, raising an eyebrow in surprise when she, assuming that the fright had been enough to make the artist want to stop, tried to pull her hand back and Michiru stopped her by grasping her wrist, smiling impishly at her, a well-known sparkle in her eyes when she responded.

"Just what I thought", she let her driver know, "but we still don't have much time left, so unless this little incident ruined the mood for you…?"

The only response she got was that Haruka smirked again, then leaned in for another kiss, the content sigh Michiru let out in reaction muffled by the blonde's mouth; tightening her embrace around the taller woman again, she allowed herself to forget the world around her, eager to make the best of the few minutes they had, knowing that they'd have much more time together later on.


	12. Dinner at the Pier

"Where do you find your inspiration?" Michiru had been asked this question a dozen times, ever since she had started showing her art in galleries and relevant art magazines had started contacting her for articles and interviews; and she always had given vague answers, telling the journalists how the beauty of the world around her, the ocean and her dreams inspired her, adding a meaningless line about her happiness with her husband after she had gotten married.

At least, she thought to herself as she read through an interview which had been printed recently, just to make sure she hadn't been quoted wrong, it was meaningless for her; the journalist clearly had taken it at face value and had added a comment about how lovely it was that she spoke of her husband like that, a slightly bitter smile curling her lips as she asked herself what the woman might have written, had she told her the truth.

Her smile changed to a much kinder variant as she thought of the person who, for the past few months, had been her biggest inspiration; the mornings after time spent with Haruka were those during which she made the best progress on her paintings, her brush moving with ease, transferring her ideas from her mind to the canvas effortlessly.

Finishing her reading, she snapped the magazine shut, letting it drop to the small table afterwards; other artists, she knew, kept articles about them in some sort of scrapbook, but she wasn't among them, losing interest in the printed words the moment she had made sure that nothing slanderous had been written about her.

"Mrs Kaioh?" the housekeeper tore her out of those thoughts as she poked her head into the room; she glanced at the elder woman and gave a brief nod, prompting her to speak on, and to let her know that her husband was calling, waiting on line one now for her to take the call.

"Thank you", Michiru replied, the housekeeper giving her a brief smile before she retreated; not in a hurry, already knowing what her husband would tell her, Michiru made her way to the office, giving her best to sound friendly when she took the call.

"That last meeting today is gonna take longer than expected", her husband let her know, making her wonder why he bothered, why he came up with such excuses – after all, they both knew what he really would do, and whom he would spend time with.

"I'll tell the housekeeper then, about dinner", she still played along, earning a vaguely agreeing noise from him; feeling generous, she told him to have a good day, then ended the call, a smile curling her lips as she realized that she now had an unexpected free evening, already knowing how she would make use of this time.

* * *

In the past few weeks, Michiru always had told her in the morning if she'd need the car in the evening, for dinner plans or other socializing events, and only had been to her little room once; and thus, Haruka was quite surprised when a soft knock came from the door, followed by Michiru poking her head into the room, smiling at her.

"Hey", she greeted, stepping into the room and carefully closing the door behind herself while Haruka sat up on the bed, putting the paperback she had been reading aside, "I hope I'm not interrupting anything?"

"A quite boring novel", the blonde gave back, smiling at her, "so your company is much appreciated. You need me to drive you somewhere?"

"Well", Michiru replied, moving to the bed and sitting down next to her, "as it turns out, I have an unexpected free evening, and while there is no specific need for me to go anywhere, the thought of spending it with you is much more appealing than being on my own. If you want my company, of course…?"

"I'm shocked you even have to ask", Haruka smirked, earning a smile from the smaller woman; she leaned in for a brief, but tender kiss, then made a vague gesture at the door, still smiling when she spoke up again.

"I thought that maybe, we could go to the pier", she suggested, not really surprising Haruka – it was her favourite place after all, they hadn't been there for a while and, even though the blonde knew she shouldn't think that way, it was highly unlikely they'd run into someone she knew there, "and perhaps get some dinner after?"

"Sure", Haruka agreed at once, not really caring where they were going and what they would do, just glad to spend more time with her, "just let me put on my jacket and cap and I'm ready to go."

Nodding, Michiru briefly regretted that she couldn't tell her to forget about this formal attire; if it only had been up to her, she would have said just that, but she knew that someone who knew her might still see her, and with high society women being as nosy and prone to gossip as they were, she couldn't take the risk of having her driver appear in anything else than perfect attire.

Thus, she just waited for Haruka to put on both the jacket and the cap, smiling again though when afterwards, the blonde offered her arm; for a moment, she thought of the staff still around, of the housekeeper and the cook, people who might see them and people she had given her best to avoid on her way to Haruka's room, then she shrugged it off, telling herself that they were paid to be discreet and surely wouldn't blab it to the world if they saw them leave like this.

 _The housekeeper also didn't blab about your husband taking a guy to the bedroom_ , she then remembered as she hooked one hand into the crook of Haruka's arm and let the taller woman lead her outside, to where the limousine was parked, _so surely she won't tell anyone about this_.

As it turned out, she had pondered these things for nothing, neither the housekeeper, nor the cook crossing their path; they arrived at the limousine without running into anyone, and as always, Haruka held the door open for her first, making her smile at her and thank her before she got into the car.

"Music?" Haruka asked once she had gotten comfortable in the driver's seat; after a moment, Michiru nodded, figuring it wouldn't be safe to distract her from driving by talking to her the whole time, and seconds after her confirmation, pleasant violin music filled the car, prompting her to sile in content and to lean back into her seat while Haruka drove the limousine off the estate and onto the road.

It was quite fascinating, she thought to herself, how much her life had improved since Haruka had started working as her driver; she remembered the first time the blonde had driven her quite well, how unhappy she had been, how frustrated with her life, and how trapped she had felt, and even though her general circumstances hadn't changed much, everything was easier to handle now, the time she spent with Haruka making everything else about her life so much easier to bear.

She glanced at the back of Haruka's head, a small smile curling her lips as she thought of how often she had done this the first time Haruka had driven her somewhere; back then, she had been hoping that something would form between them, a relationship deeper than employer and employee, but she hadn't imagined it would lead to this, to her craving Haruka's touch and kiss so much that it almost hurt her physically.

Briefly, she wondered how it was for Haruka, if the taller woman yearned for her just as much whenever they weren't together; not quite sure how to ask her this though, she kept the question to herself, holding back a grimace as she thought of that one night, when Haruka had found her outside, sitting on the stairs, after her husband had taken his special friend to their bedroom, and she, in the driver's room, had blurted out the question if she liked her.

 _How embarrassing_ , she thought to herself, still not able to believe she had done this – after all, she usually was better at controlling her impulses, but then, she had to admit to herself, when she had kissed Haruka for the first time, it had been quite the rash and impulsive thing to do, as well, making her wonder if her driver actually brought out this side of her, and let her forget all about how she had been raised and what she had been taught.

The car coming to a halt distracted her from those thoughts, and she realized, with a bit of surprise, that they had arrived at the pier already; the music died as Haruka killed the engine, taking the time to remove her cap before she got out of the car and opened the door for Michiru, both of them ignoring the looks of the people around, ranging from blatant envy to amazement and, in a few, thankfully rare cases, dislike.

As always when they were at the pier, Michiru took the lead, walking out onto the pier until she was at the very edge, the spot which had the least people and the best view of the ocean; Haruka stopped next to her, and after a moment, Michiru slid her hand into the taller woman's, suddenly not caring anymore if anyone she knew might be around and might see her holding hands with someone who wasn't her husband.

The feeling of Haruka's fingers curling around hers was too good to pull back, and thus, she simply enjoyed it, letting the scent of the sea fill her nostrils while she focused on the feeling of the taller woman's palm against hers; it was such a simple touch, but what it symbolized made her heart beat faster, the way it showed how close they were by now, how comfortable she was around her.

"So", she finally said, after a few minutes had ticked by in silence, "do you have any special wishes for dinner? I hate to say it like this, but we can't really go to one of the restaurants I normally frequent, the risk that someone I know might see us there is just too high."

To her relief, Haruka didn't appear upset or offended by these words, but merely nodded; still, Michiru feared for a moment that sooner or later, the blonde would get fed up with this arrangement and dump her, a thought she rigorously pushed out of her mind though a second after it had come up, telling herself that she could think about this later and that she should enjoy the time with her driver now.

"I have an idea", Haruka told her after glancing around for a moment, as if a restaurant would magically appear nearby if she just looked at the right spot, "wait here, I'll be back in a minute."

Curious, Michiru nodded, even though she felt a bit dismayed when Haruka let go of her hand; the blonde gave her a brief smile and a wink, then hurried off, the artist looking after her for a second or two before she turned to look at the ocean again, taking in a deep breath, letting the scent and the soft sound of the waves soothe her as she waited for Haruka to come back.

It took a bit longer than the minute Haruka had talked about, but finally, footsteps came up behind her; not able to hold her curiousness back any longer, Michiru turned to look at her, unable to hide the surprise when she saw what the taller woman was holding in her hands.

"Probably not what you are used to", the driver made quite the understatement, smirking at the way Michiru simply raised an eyebrow in response, "but life would be quite boring without new experiences, huh? I wasn't quite sure what you'd like on yours, so I got you a simple one, just the basics."

"I'm not even sure what I'd like on this", Michiru gave back, with another critical look at the blonde's hands, "and, while I do agree about what you said about new experiences, I'm not sure indigestion and heartburn are on the list of things I want to experience."

"Give it a try?" Haruka replied, with an adorable puppy dog look the artist just couldn't say no to, "if you hate it, we can find something else. Please, for me?"

"Fine", Michiru agreed after another sceptical look, making the driver beam brightly at her; she held out the hot dog she had gotten for her, with mustard and onion hiding part of the sausage from view, while her own was loaded with a myriad of things, making Michiru wonder how she wanted to eat that without having half of it fall onto her shirt.

"I don't think I ever had one of those", she added as she took the food, earning a raised eyebrow from Haruka; she shrugged, then took a tentative bite, carefully making sure that no mustard or onion rings would dribble down onto her expensive blouse.

"Not as good as the Brie en Croute the housekeeper made the other day", she said after having swallowed that little bite, "but better than I thought it would be."

"I don't know what a brie whatever is", Haruka replied with a shrug, making Michiru smile slightly, "but you don't hate it, so, yay?"

"I guess so", Michiru gave back, then raised an eyebrow as she watched how Haruka took a bite of her monster of a hotdog; somehow, she managed to do so without having any of the stuff on it fall off, the smaller woman having to admit that this was quite impressive.

Feeling a bit more daring, she took a bigger bite of her hotdog; it still didn't taste quite as good as the food she was used to, but it was tasty enough, and she finished it fairly quickly, getting done shortly after Haruka had swallowed down the last bite of hers, miraculously having managed to eat it all without getting any of the toppings on her shirt.

"That's impressive", she told the blonde, earning a smirk, "I was wondering how you were planning to eat that without getting half of it on your shirt."

"I got practice", Haruka let her know in response, her smirk widening as she went on, "unlike you. Wait, you got a little something…"

She found a napkin in the pocket of her jacket, glad that she had brought a few from the hotdog seller; for a moment, Michiru wondered if she would give it to her, but instead, Haruka surprised her yet again, this time by leaning closer as she wiped the bit of mustard from the corner of her mouth.

Even though the touch was as far from erotic as a handshake, it make her knees go weak; she fought down the urge to kiss Haruka right then and there, telling herself that it was a bad idea, that holding hands already had been risky and that kissing her would be much more risky than that.

"So", the driver spoke up, either not noticing her sudden arousal or ignoring it on purpose, due to them being out in public, "you up for dessert?"

"Oh yes", Michiru breathed, and the smirk Haruka gave her in response told her that she had noticed everything; she offered her arm to the smaller woman, and immediately, Michiru took hold of it, forcing herself to walk at normal speed as they made their way back to the limousine.

It seemed to take forever until they finally had made it to the car, and then, Haruka had to drive to a less populated area, making her wait even longer; finally though, the blonde parked in a quiet area and moved to join her in the back, and immediately, Michiru greeted her with a deep, heated kiss, once again forgetting all about her troubles as she focused on the feeling of Haruka's lips on hers and the taller woman's arms around her.


	13. Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder

For quite some time in her life, bars had been a no-go area for Haruka; her self-control when it came to alcohol had been delicate, at best, and the temptation of endless beer and whiskey and vodka had been too big to risk.

By now, she felt stable and strong enough to go into a bar again; not into any bar, but one certain place, where she knew the barkeep knew about her little problem and would keep an eye on her without blabbing about it to the other guests.

"You know", said barkeep now commented, as she put another glass of coke down on the counter in front of her, "not that I mind you hanging out here, but this is the third night in a row you're here. One would think you'd have better things to do during your week off."

"Apparently not", Haruka replied with a shrug, then pointed at her glass, "and why is there no lemon wedge? The other customers get lemon wedges."

"The other customers also get rum or Bacardi added to that", the barkeep replied, earning an eye roll from her friend, "but, fine, this one time, you'll get one too."

"Thanks", the blonde gave back dryly, prompting the other woman to wag a finger at her, accompanied with a strict "Watch your tongue, young Lady", making her roll her eyes yet again.

"I'm older than you, Minako", she then pointed out, not surprised when Minako simply shrugged in response, then at least fulfilled her wish by sticking a lemon wedge onto the rim of her glass, prompting her to mockingly toast the smaller woman before she took a sip of her drink.

"Cheer up", Minako told her, not surprisingly having noticed that she was quite glum, "you have a week off, and it's a paid holiday! And still, ever since it started, you've been looking as if your favourite TV show got cancelled."

Not quite sure what to reply to this, Haruka just let out an unhappy grunt; Minako and she were close, had been best friends for years and roommates for quite a bit of that time, and despite that, and the deep trust they had for each other, she had found herself unable to tell her about her affair so far, well aware of how Minako would react.

"Come on, spill", the smaller blonde kept prodding, making her realize to her dismay that, after three evenings of having her sit there brooding, "what is it? Did some hot girl reject you? I bet that's it."

"No", Haruka replied, winning some time by taking another sip of her drink, "no one rejected me."

"What it is, then", Minako demanded to know, clearly not willing to give up, "come on, it's a slow night, as you can see, so you might as well tell me now, cause you know that, unless a horde of thirty thirsty people bursts into this bar right _now_ , I won't give up anyway until you told me."

"Sometimes, I wonder why we are friends", Haruka let her know, earning an innocent smile in reply and a slight nudge against the arm she had resting on the polished wood of the bar, the matter-of-fact tone Minako had when she replied making her smirk despite her annoyance. "Cause I'm awesome and you know it. Now spill, if it's not a girl, is it something at the company?"

"No", Haruka sighed, casting a longing glance towards the entrance, willing a hoard of thirsty people to appear; to her dismay though, the door stayed close, and she gave up, realizing that sooner or later, Minako would find out anyway, and that'd it be best to tell her before she somehow learned it from someone else.

"Fine, I'll tell you", she thus conceded, raising an eyebrow at the way Minako beamed at her as an answer, "but you have to promise you won't freak out."

"Oh God, what did you do", the smaller blonde replied quite melodramatically, even going as far as clutching her chest, "did you take out a loan? Piss off the rich people? Spill your coffee on your boss?"

"No", Haruka declined with another eye roll, "why would I take out a loan? You know the company pays well. But, well, uhm… I'm kinda… sleeping with Michiru."

Minako stared at her.

"You know", the driver went on after half a minute had ticked by in silence, "technically, kinda-sorta my boss? Michiru Kaioh?"

Minako stared at her.

"Say something", Haruka finally couldn't take the silence anymore, "ah crap, I knew it wasn't a good idea to tell you, I knew you'd freak…"

"She isn't making you, is she", Minako finally did say something, even though it was the last thing Haruka wanted to hear, "by, I dunno, threatening to fire you or something? And isn't she married?"

"She's not making me", Haruka replied, indignant, "come on, you know me, you think I'd let that happen? I'm not glum cause I'm sleeping with her, I'm glum cause she's at some art exhibit or whatever out of town and won't be here for another two days. I miss her."

"Sap", Minako accused her at once, "but, I guess that's something. And again I ask, isn't she married?"

"Yes", Haruka admitted with a sigh, "which is why you can never tell anyone about this, you hear? She's married to a gay man. Arranged thing by their parents cause they have the same problem, as they put it."

"Old rich people are assholes", Minako declared in response, making the taller woman smile slightly, "and of course I won't tell anyone, my lips are sealed. As long as she's not making you or something… But Haruka, please, be careful, I don't want you to get hurt."

Her usually playful tone was gone for the last few words, replaced by an unexpected sombreness Haruka hadn't been prepared for at all; and so, now it was her turn to simply stare for a few seconds, until she got over her surprise enough to response.

"Uhm, I'll try?" she said, holding back the urge to scratch the back of her head, "but, no need to worry, it's going fine, I think she really likes me, too, and doesn't just… you know… use me. But thanks, that meant a lot."

"Don't get all sappy with me now", Minako told her, playfully swatting at her with her dishtowel and making her grumble, "I just don't want you to get unhappy, subsequently shitfaced and then have you puke all over our place. And you do know I want to meet her some time soon now, right?"

"Yes Mom", Haruka mockingly gave back, earning another swat from the dishtowel; she glared at Minako, then forgave her and smiled, the younger woman smirking back at her at once, leaving her alone afterwards to tend to the few guests sitting at the tables in the back, giving her time to be grateful about how well Minako had taken the news of her affair, feeling much better now that she finally had told her best friend about it.

* * *

It was a pity, Haruka thought to herself as she stood waiting at the airport, that she couldn't greet Michiru the way she wanted to; the days until the artist's return had passed slowly already, but the last few hours until she'd had to leave to be at the airport in time had been eve worse, each minute feeling like an hour.

As she stood there with other drivers, thankfully not having to hold up one of the ridiculous looking name signs, she wondered if she was feeling too strongly for someone she was, in the end, having a secret affair with, one which never could be out in the open as a normal relationship; on the other hand though, she knew that, even if she would come to the conclusion that she missed Michiru too much, liked her too much, she wouldn't be able to stop it, well aware that rational thought and reasoning had no chance against her feelings.

A flash of teal hair in the mass of people pouring through the gate caught her eye, and she was thankful for her height as she stretched to make sure it really was Michiru; there were too many taller people around the artist to let her see for sure, but then, as if some merciful deity had heard her dismay about this, a gap formed in the sea of people, and her eyes met Michiru's, her heart skipping an excited beat while her breath momentarily got stuck in her throat.

For a few seconds, just long enough to let her notice it, Michiru's eyes lit up, as well; then, the artist remembered that there were other people around and her façade slid back in place, Haruka holding back a foolishly wide grin when the smaller woman reached her, unable to keep the joy out of her voice though when she greeted her.

"I hope you had a good trip", she added while she took Michiru's luggage from her; the artist nodded in response, much better at hiding her feelings than she was, sounding perfectly calm and composed when she told her that it had been lovely.

Remembering her role in public, Haruka let her take the lead, walking along right behind her, until she remembered that Michiru didn't know where the limousine had been parked; she let her know that she had found a good space and that she'd drive up to the exit, making Michiru nod yet again, her composure giving her reason to wonder if the artist really was that unaffected by their time apart or if she just was hiding it better.

 _Guess you'll find out soon enough_ , she thought to herself as she parted ways with Michiru at the exit, _hurrying to the car, but she did look quite happy to see you, so…_

Quickly, she stowed the luggage in the trunk, then got into the car and started the engine; thanks to the VIP parking space the Kaioh name and money guaranteed, there weren't many other cars ahead of her, and a short while later, she pulled up to the exit, hopping out to open the rear door for her employer, feeling quite giddy by the time she got back into the driver's seat.

"Take a detour, please", Michiru told her the second she had pulled the door close again, "I imagine there'll be a quiet spot not far from here."

This made her feel even giddier, but still she tried to appear professional, simply nodding her agreement; she drove away from the airport, then into the first quiet side road she found, glad that the airport wasn't located right in the city – a thought Michiru clearly shared, since she asked her to stop the car the moment they were off the busy street leading back to town and in a much quieter business area, not a soul in sight thanks to the fact that it was Saturday afternoon.

"Join me?" the artist asked the moment Haruka had killed the engine, a coy tone in her voice now which hadn't been there before; not even bothering to nod, the blonde reacted by climbing into the back, and the second she was within reach, Michiru grabbed her tie with one hand and the back of her neck with the other, pulling her closer with enough force to show her need, but not so much that it would have been painful, their lips meeting in a heated kiss.

"God, I've missed you", Michiru breathed as they pulled apart again, making Haruka's heart skip a bit yet again; she just had time to tell her that she had missed her, too, then they were kissing again, and buttons were being opened and zippers were being pulled down, both of them eager to make up for the time they had spent apart, any concerns Haruka might have had about Michiru not affected by the days they had been without each other vanishing into nothingness as she focused on the artist and what this woman meant to her.


	14. Valentine's Day

Already before she had gotten married, Michiru hadn't been a big fan of Valentine's Day; she'd always considered it a bit of a sham, a day during which people who often didn't care much for romantic gestures during the rest of the year suddenly decided that flowers and chocolate and a fancy dinner were in order now.

Perhaps, she reflected as she sat next to her husband in the limousine, silence between them, her cynical opinion about this certain day could be blamed on her parents; after all, she only had ever seen her father present her mother with gifts during a few select occasions – Valentine's Day, her birthday, and whenever he had done something to upset her and had bought his way out of it.

 _Well, not that your own marriage is so much better_ , she then thought to herself, briefly glancing at the back of Haruka's head; they had taken her limousine for this trip to one of the more expensive restaurants in town, and she couldn't help herself, but just had to wonder what Haruka was thinking right now, driving both of them, the woman she was sleeping with regularly and said woman's husband.

If Haruka had any thoughts about this, she was remarkably good at keeping them from showing through her expression; and neither did her voice show any emotion as she parked the limousine at the restaurant a short while later, letting them know that they had arrived before she got out of the car to open the door for Michiru.

"Your driver's remarkably good", her husband commented as they entered the restaurant together, making her ask herself if he actually knew that Haruka was more than a driver to her or if he somehow still had no idea, "a safe driver. Good to know, seeing how often you have her take you somewhere."

Something in his tone at the last few words convinced her did he did know something; not giving him the satisfaction of reacting in any way to the implication though, she merely smiled her fake polite smile at him, her voice perfectly neutral when she replied. "Of course she is. I do want to arrive at my destinations safely, my dear."

He smiled frostily in response, then moved his attention from her to the man responsible for greeting the new guests and checking their reservations; after he had given his name, and the guy had in response checked his little black book, he nodded, then asked them to follow them, leading them to one of the more discreet booths of the restaurant, waiting until they had sat down before he handed them the menus and let them know that a waiter would be there shortly to take their drink orders and inform them about the night's specials.

Again, silence formed between them as they both looked at the menu; they were interrupted by the waiter, listening to the list of chef's recommendations and specials, then giving him their drink order before they both went back to studying the available meals, Michiru finding herself somewhat distracted as she kept thinking of Haruka, knowing the blonde was waiting in the car for her, probably reading a book or listening to music.

She'd much prefer to be there with her, she thought to herself, finally settling on something to eat; her husband decided shortly after her, signalling this by putting the menu down, the waiter smiling politely as he brought their drinks and asked if they were ready to order.

"I have something for you", her husband let her know the moment the man was out of earshot again; he reached into his pocket, then brought out a small jewellery box, not really surprising her, but still she forced herself to smile in response, telling herself that it was the polite thing to do.

She accepted the box as he held it out to her, and opened it; it didn't really surprise her that he had given her earrings, and neither was it surprising that they matched the bracelet he had gifted her with a few weeks ago, even though it briefly did make her wonder if he had bought a full set and had a necklace stowed away somewhere, for the next occasion or for the next time he'd have to apologize for something.

"Thank you", she said out loud, voicing none of these thoughts, "they are very lovely. I have something for you, too."

She peered into her bag, reaching for one of the two packages, then changing her mind in the last second; she wasn't quite sure what made her give him the gift which wasn't actually intended for him, but he seemed quite happy with the cufflinks once he had gotten a good look at them, giving her the first genuine smile of the evening.

"Not that I want to cut our time short", he then said, after the waiter briefly had interrupted them again to serve the first course, "but I'm afraid I have to leave right after dessert. My driver has been instructed to pick me up, so you won't have to come along to my… business appointment."

"That's very considerate of you", Michiru gave back, now with a frosty smile of her own, signalling that she had seen through his rather pathetic lie at once, but was aware enough of the people around them to not say anything which would reveal their little arrangement to them, "I hope you will enjoy your… business."

He cleared his throat in response, his cheeks reddening, forcing her to hold back a sardonic smirk; without further comment, she began to eat, and after another moment of regaining his composure, he did so, as well, trying to entertain her with mindless small talk as they ate, both of them trying their best to not let it show how much they wanted to be somewhere – and with someone – else.

* * *

Just as her husband had announced, he asked for the check right after the last bite of dessert had been swallowed; and once he had paid, he almost rushed off, remembering in the last second that it might be suspicious if he left without showing the slightest bit of affection to his wife, thus kissing her quickly on the cheek before he wished her a nice evening and strode out of the restaurant.

Momentarily, Michiru was angry at him, annoyed that he couldn't even wait long enough to leave together with her, make it look less as if he was running away from her; then, she pushed those feelings aside, telling herself that it meant she'd have more time she could spend with Haruka, the thought forcing her to hold back a smile as she walked outside.

The moment she stepped out onto the sidewalk, the valet came hurrying over; she instructed him on which limousine was hers, then waited as he scurried away to inform her driver that she was ready to go, and a short while later, the limousine pulled up to the curb and Haruka got out, smirking when she saw that her husband was nowhere in sight, not making a comment though, merely holding the door open for her again.

"To the pier?" she then asked, after she had gotten back into the driver's seat; briefly, Michiru considered taking her home instead, figuring that her husband wouldn't be home for the night and that she could as well make use of that by taking Haruka to her bedroom, then decided against it – there was no guarantee after all that her husband wouldn't come home, and she wasn't really interested on having him catch them in bed, not after how she had reacted the last time he had brought his lover there.

Thus, she just nodded, taking a quick look into her bag afterwards to make sure the second gift was still there; focused on the road, Haruka noticed nothing of this, only glancing at her through the rear view mirror once she had to stop at a red light.

"Did you ditch your husband at the restaurant?" she wanted to know, an amused twinkle in her eyes; for a second, Michiru almost held the laughter which wanted to escape her at hearing this back, then remembered what Haruka had said about how she had a beautiful laugh and let it out instead, the way the blonde immediately smiled in response making her feel even happier than she was already.

"No", she then let her driver know, "he sort of ditched me. Right after we'd finished dessert, claiming he had a business appointment. I told him that I hope he will enjoy his business and he blushed bad enough to make me fear he's suffering an aneurysm."

At this, Haruka snorted, the noise being enough to make Michiru giggle again; the blonde glanced at her through the rear view mirror once more, giving her a warm and tender smile so different to the ones she had seen on her husband's face during the dinner that it made her heart clench up, and once more, she asked herself why she had let her parents bully her into this sham of a marriage, why she couldn't have met Haruka earlier, if perhaps, she would have been able to withstand the constant talks and nagging if she'd had the blonde by her side.

Then, she decided that this wasn't the right time for such thoughts, and that she should enjoy what was left of Valentine's Day with Haruka as much as she could; after all, it was too late now to change things, so she'd have to make the best of it, and if that included that her Valentine's Day would end with her having sex in the back of the car with the blonde, she figured that this was the best she could ask for her in her situation.

Glancing out the window, she thought of the gift she had gotten for Haruka again, suddenly oddly nervous as she wondered if the blonde would like it; it had been expensive, like her gifts usually were, and the people she usually gave them to never had a problem with that, quite fond of giving expensive stuff, themselves, but she knew that Haruka wasn't comfortable with it, remembering well how the taller woman had reacted when she had insisted on buying her the suit she was wearing this very moment.

Hoping that, due to the special occasion, her gift would be accepted, Michiru looked out the window again as Haruka drove; and a short while later, they had arrived at the pier, the blonde parking the limousine before she took off her cap, then got out and held the door open for her, earning a smile from the smaller woman as she got out of the car.

"I got you something", she stated, belatedly realizing that perhaps, it would have been better to give her this while still in the car, where they were safe from curious eyes and she could have handed the gift over along with a kiss, "I hope you'll like it. Happy Valentine's Day."

She reached into her purse and brought out the gift, a slim, oblong box wrapped in pretty, dark blue paper; momentarily, Haruka looked surprised, then, to Michiru's relief, delighted, smiling as she accepted the gift, the artist nodding when she asked if she could open it right away.

"Oh wow", she said, stunned, as she opened the box and got a good view at the gift; with exceeding care, she took the wristwatch out of the box, getting a closer look at it, immediately able to tell that it hadn't been cheap.

"Please don't worry about the price", Michiru said, before Haruka had the chance to make a comment about this; the blonde gave her a wry smirk in reply, but didn't try to give the present back, instead delighting Michiru by taking off the rather cheap watch she had worn so far and replacing it with the new one.

"Thank you", she said once she had put the new watch on and had stowed hers away in the pocket of her slacks, "it looks great. Uhm, I got you something, too, well, kind of…"

Michiru had a second to wonder how Haruka could have "kind of" gotten her something, then the blonde was vaguely gesturing down the pier, asking her to walk with her; curious now, the artist just nodded, and they got moving, Michiru's gaze moving back and forth as she tried to figure out what Haruka might have gotten for her.

"It's a good thing you wanted to come here", her driver commented, distracting her from glancing around, "because if you'd wanted to go somewhere else, that would have made getting the present to you difficult."

"You're making me more and more curious", Michiru told her, half amused, half scolding, "what is it?"

"Well", Haruka stalled, making her raise an eyebrow, "I had no idea what to buy you. I didn't want to get flowers or jewellery or chocolate, cause that's so cliché, but then, what does one get a woman who can buy anything which catches her fancy? So I came up with something else instead."

She looked up ahead, searching, then seemed to spot whatever she had been looking for, since her face lit up; and then, she waved, Michiru only feeling more curious as a young, slim woman waved back, then approached them, smiling shyly while Haruka was grinning happily.

"Michiru, this is Ami", she then introduced, "Ami, Michiru. Remember that friend I mentioned, with the flower shop? I met Ami through her, she's a med student, but she's also a hobby photographer, so I thought we could get a picture of us here, at your favourite place… I mean, you can't put it on your nightstand or something, but…"

"That's a lovely idea", Michiru reassured her, before she could ramble herself into reasons for why this was a bad idea, "and very thoughtful."

"I'm glad you like it", Haruka gave back, her cheeks reddening slightly, a sight so adorable that Michiru wanted to grab and kiss her right there; instead, she just smiled, aware of the people around, then gestured at the far end of the pier, asking if this would be a good spot, with the ocean right behind them.

"Wherever you want it", Haruka told her, "luckily, it's after sundown, so we won't need to worry about the glare or something, right, Ami?"

"Right", Ami nodded, still appearing nervous, running one hand through her short blue hair; hoping to calm her down, Michiru smiled at her, but this only seemed to make things worse, the younger woman blushing again and clearing her throat before she asked if they were ready to go over there, then.

Nodding, Michiru led the way this time, Haruka by her side and Ami right behind them; it didn't take long for them to reach the far end of the pier, Ami keeping a bit of a distance so she wouldn't be too close for a proper picture, giving them a minute to find a pose comfortable for both of them.

Momentarily, Michiru worried about being too openly affectionate with Haruka, out here in public, where anyone might see; then, she realized that the other people at the pier, few as there were, were quite far away thanks to their location, and weren't paying attention to them, anyway, surprising the taller woman moments later as she made her decision and practically snuggled up to her, the blonde getting over her surprise quickly though and putting both arms around her.

Smiling up at her, Michiru reciprocated, turning slightly in her embrace so she could wrap one arm around her waist, her other hand finding a comfortable position on her chest, right above her heart; and as they smiled at each other, Ami started taking pictures, not bothering to give them any instructions, simply letting them stand and act as they wanted, knowing it would look much more natural and genuine that way.

As she felt Haruka's hand tenderly rub her back, Michiru forgot all about the other people, suddenly overwhelmed with desire and something else, something she didn't dare to name yet; had it been anyone else, she would have ignored the sudden need burning within her, but Haruka once again made her drop all caution and limitations, and before she could think too much about it, she acted on the impulse, surprising the blonde once more by pulling her down for a tender kiss.

They both were mindful enough of the camera and the people around to not let it deepen, and to not let it go on for too long; still Michiru's heart was racing in her chest as she pulled back, barely registering the click of the camera as Ami shot another pic, unable to take her eyes off Haruka.

"Happy Valentine's Day", the blonde murmured to her, her voice even lower and huskier than usual, making Michiru's knees feel decidedly weak; she just managed another smile and a nod in reply, then cleared her throat as she noticed Ami lowering her camera from the corner of her eye, the younger girl not paying any attention to them though as she now was busy checking the pictures she had taken.

"I'll email them to you, like we said", she then told Haruka, making the blonde nod; and even though Michiru was thankful that Ami had been willing to make time for this, apparently without pay, she was grateful when afterwards, goodbyes were said and they parted ways, all at once eager to get back to the car – and to a secluded place, where they could properly celebrate Valentine's Day, for the first time in her life understanding why this certain day was so special to so many people.


	15. When I Need You

Michiru didn't know her husband well, having as little contact as possible with him, but even she knew him well enough to tell that he was pissed off when he came stomping into the dining room, looking so angry that she was honestly surprised he didn't have a storm cloud hovering over his head, shooting bolts of lightning everywhere.

Momentarily, she wasn't sure if she should ask him what was wrong, briefly feeling bitter as she asked herself what this said about the quality of her marriage; then, she shrugged those thoughts off and decided it would be the polite thing to do, asking him if he was alright, earning a wordless shake of his head in response.

"I don't want to talk about it", he then added, sitting down at the dining table and hiding behind his newspaper; Michiru raised an eyebrow, then figured that it would be best not to let it bother her and focused on her own magazine, only glancing up when the housekeeper brought dinner.

They ate in silence, her husband leaving with a mumbled, barely audible excuse right after he had swallowed the last bite; Michiru took a bit longer to finish, not letting his behaviour ruin her appetite, retreating to her atelier after she had gotten done with her meal, eager to get some painting done – with Haruka having her day off, she had no interest in going anywhere, the male driver who worked for her when the blonde wasn't there being polite enough, but not a very good substitute for the tall woman.

For almost an hour, she was fully immersed in her work, almost hypnotized by how the brush moved over the canvas, transferring the images in her mind to the white surface with ease; and then, just as she put one brush aside and reached for another, thinner one, the door opened behind her, prompting her to turn and look, her lifelong practice making it easy for her to hide the surprise she felt when she saw her husband standing in the doorway.

"Can I come in?" he wanted to know, making her nod after a moment; she wasn't quite sure what to expect, since the only other time he had been in her atelier had been to apologize for taking his special friend to their bedroom, usually leaving her alone otherwise when she was in here, knowing she preferred it to not be disturbed when she painted.

"That looks beautiful", he told her as he moved closer to her, gesturing at the painting; she smiled politely and thanked him, knowing that this wasn't what he had come here for, waiting for him to speak on, something he took his time with though, looking around the atelier at first, as if he never had been there before.

Finally, just when she began to lose her patience, he looked at her again; and even though she hardly knew him, and couldn't say that she cared much about him, let alone loved him, she found herself feeling sympathetic when she saw the pain in his eyes, the same emotion in his voice when he finally told her why he had sought her out.

"I know we don't speak much, not surprising, considering our… relationship", he began, rubbing the back of his neck nervously, "but, well… I need to speak to someone, and you're the only one who understands… Kiro broke up with me."

"Oh", Michiru let out, not all too smart, having to admit that she hadn't expected this at all and that it had somewhat blindsided her, "um… I'm sorry to hear that…"

He sighed in response, momentarily looking as if he wasn't quite sure where to put his hands, then settled on stuffing them into the pockets of his pants, sounding almost thoughtful as he went on, unaware of how his words send a chill into Michiru's heart.

"Not that I can blame him", he said, his tone leaving her unsure if he was talking to her or to himself, "with how this relationship had to be kept secret. He simply tired of being my affair, knowing he could never be more than that."

"A situation not everyone can handle, I imagine", Michiru decided to be diplomatic, hiding the dread his words had given her; he just smiled warily at her, then shrugged, moving to study some of her finished paintings, his back thus to her when he replied, allowing her to let the fright he caused to well up within her to show on her face, just for a second, until she regained control.

"Perhaps no one can handle this for long", he murmured, still staring at her paintings, "so soon, you might suffer the same heartbreak. I really did love him, you know."

"Who knows", Michiru gave back, carefully keeping her feelings out of her tone, glad that she also didn't let them show through her expression when he turned to look at her, "maybe, you will find back together. One can never tell."

"Yes, maybe", he replied, not sounding as if he believed it, "even though I doubt it. I never even saw this coming. So beware, Michiru, and guard your heart, your… liaison with your driver might end out of the blue, as well."

Without giving her a chance to reply, he strode past her after the last words, left the room and closed the door behind himself; stunned, Michiru stared at the polished wood, then shook her head as if to snap herself out of it, her brow furrowing as she thought about his parting words.

He was hurting, she knew, had seen it in his eyes; and it was reasonable to assume that he had tried to pass some of this pain on by lashing out at her, telling her what he could assume was one of her biggest fears; he didn't know about the exact relationship she had with Haruka, she wasn't even sure herself, but apparently, he had figured out that they were more than friends with benefits.

 _Don't mind him_ , she told herself, picking up her brush again, just staring at the painting though, realizing that all at once, her inspiration was gone, _he was just lashing out, Haruka would never do that to you, you know that…_

Despite her tries to convince herself of this, her inspiration didn't return; and thus, she gave up after another ten minutes, putting the brush aside and leaving the atelier, her husband's words constantly coming up again, no matter how hard she tried to ignore them.

* * *

Hours later, just as dawn was settling over the city, Michiru was so anxious and worried that she could barely sit still; she wasn't sure if her husband had been aiming to cause this when he had made his comments, but if it had been his goal to make her unease and concerned, he had more than succeeded, the artist pacing up and down in her atelier as her mind ran wild.

She knew that Haruka would be there again in the next day, and that she could bring this up then; after hours of thinking about it though, waiting until the next day became more and more unbearable, until she found herself unable to stay in the house for another minute, suddenly knowing that she just had to get this off her chest before the day would end.

She was halfway out the door when she realized that she had no idea where Haruka lived; for a few moments, she stood there, feeling lost and helpless, then thought her husband's office, of the files he surely had there about his dealings with the company which provided their drivers, and that, if Haruka's address wasn't in them, a contact number for the company would be, the resolution to find the blonde in her home and have this settled firm in her mind as she made her way to the office, unwilling to let anything deter her.

* * *

"Yes, I'm coming, hold your horses", Minako half snapped, half called out, hurriedly and somewhat haphazardly buttoning up her blouse as she hurried to the door; she'd just been in the middle of getting ready for her shift at the bar when the doorbell had rang, and apparently, whoever was out there was quite eager to see either Haruka or her, ringing again and again while she had more or less jumped into her clothes.

"Yes, what", she demanded as she practically ripped the door open; to her surprise and slight concern, she found herself face to face with another woman, one of her eyebrows going up at how out of breath the stranger appeared to be, sweat on her brow and staining her quite expensive clothes.

"I'm", the woman started, then had to catch her breath again, giving Minako time to worry that she was some sort of crazy person, and making her think back to the Criminal Minds episode she had seen a while ago, which had begun quite similar, then the woman tried again, prompting her to focus on her once more, "I'm looking for Haruka Tenoh… Is this her address…?"

"Uhm, yes", Minako gave back, her mind starting to put the pieces together as she took a closer look at the woman, her expensive clothing and jewellery, her wedding band and the rather distinctive teal hair colour she was sure Haruka had mentioned to her, her eyes briefly widening as she realized who stood in front of her.

"Haruka just stepped out for a minute", she let the visitor know, "uhm, why don't you come in and wait for her here?"

"Thank you", the woman murmured, confirming Minako's suspicion moments later as she went on, "and, oh, where are my manners, I'm Michiru Kaioh… I guess you could say Haruka's my employee…"

"She told me about you, yes", Minako let her know, stepping aside so she could enter, "I'm Minako, her roommate. Take a seat if you wanna, I have to get done for my shift."

She gave her another curious glance, then hurried off into the adjoining room; feeling slightly lost now, Michiru looked around the small, but cosy apartment, asking herself if it had been a bad idea to come here, all at once feeling stupid and childish and needy – here she was, having walked all the way from her house to Haruka's, just because of a few things her husband had said.

Then, the door opened, and she automatically looked over, her eyes meeting Haruka's as the blonde shouldered the door open, bags of groceries in her arms; momentarily, the taller woman looked surprised, then she noticed how out of breath and flushed the artist was, and immediately, the surprise in her eyes was replaced with concern.

"Michiru", she stated, hurriedly putting the bags on the ground, then moving over to her with a few quick steps; simultaneously, Michiru came to her feet, and the moment Haruka was close enough, the smaller woman moved to hug her, burying her face in her chest and breathing in her scent, struggling to keep her emotions in check as they threatened to overwhelm her.

"What's wrong", Haruka immediately picked up on her distress, despite her tries to hide it, "Michiru? Michiru, Sweetie, talk to me, what happened?"

When Michiru burst into tears in response, her heart leapt up to her throat, a million unpleasant scenarios flickering through her mind, ranging from her husband doing something to her to her family somehow finding out about them and threatening her with God knew what – and she was perfectly unaware of how far she was from the real reason for the smaller woman's tears, not having a clue that it had been the endearment she had used which had shattered Michiru's carefully upheld self-control.

Behind Michiru, Minako came out of her room, fully dressed and ready to go; she gave the blonde a questioning look, and Haruka responded with a barely visible nod, a silent signal that it was okay and that she should go, the barkeep giving her a sceptical glance before she accepted this and left without another word, giving them some privacy.

For a while, they just stood there, Haruka holding Michiru close and rubbing her back soothingly as the artist cried in her arms; she had to admit that it was somewhat unsettling to see Michiru like this, after she always had been at least partially composed, even after almost walking in on her husband and his special friend, this outburst so out of character that it only made the blonde's concern increase.

"I'm sorry", Michiru finally brought out, after just having sobbed into her chest for a while, "it's just… God, I feel so stupid…"

"If it makes you cry like that, it's not stupid", Haruka gave back at once, still rubbing her back soothingly, "so tell me. What happened?"

"Now that I'm here, I feel that I'm overreacting", Michiru murmured in reply, not moving out of the blonde's embrace though, having to admit that having her back rubbed this way felt quite nice and calming, "it's just… My husband, he told me that his special friend broke things off with him, not wanting to be his secret affair any longer. And, well, he claimed that he could only speak to me about this… and found it necessary to point out that he didn't see it coming, and that I should guard my heart, because you might do the same to me, as out of blue as his… friend did it to him."

"What", Haruka gave back, raising an eyebrow, "he doesn't know me well, does he. Well, wait, of course he doesn't. I wouldn't do that."

"That's what I told myself, as well", Michiru told her, unable to keep the relief from showing through her voice, "but, and this is why I feel stupid, I couldn't stop thinking about it… And then I couldn't take it anymore, I had to see you, just to make sure…"

"I wouldn't do that to you, Michiru", Haruka repeated, the kindness in her tone making her feel like crying again, even though this time, she could hold the tears back, "I promise. I knew what I got into when we started… this, the risks and that it'd have to be kept secret, so I'm not going to throw it in your face like that some day."

"I imagine his special friend knew all this, too", Michiru murmured, briefly closing her eyes as she leaned her head against Haruka's shoulder again, "but he couldn't handle it anymore. And my dear husband found it necessary to point out that no one can handle this for long…"

In response, Haruka's embrace around her tightened for a moment – before she moved one hand to tenderly touch Michiru's cheek, making the artist look at her, the genuine warmth and care she saw in the taller woman's gaze as their eyes met making her heart clench up again.

"I'm not gonna do this to you", she repeated, so sincere and solemn that the artist had no choice, but simply had to believe her, "as I said, I knew what I was getting into. Whatever he said to you about his guy, whether he knew it and couldn't handle it or wasn't aware of it, it doesn't matter. I am not going to do this to you."

"Thank you", Michiru brought out, only now fully realizing how much she had been aching to hear these words, "I can't tell how much it means to me that you told me this…"

In response, Haruka just gave her a brief, but loving smile, then kissed her tenderly; the kiss tasted of sweat and tears, but she didn't let that stop her, only spurred on when, as the kiss deepened, Michiru sighed into her mouth, her arms around the driver tightening.

"Okay", the blonde murmured after they had pulled apart again, her hand still cupping the smaller woman's cheek, prompting her to lean into the touch, "this might not be the most romantic thing to say now, but we really have to get you out of those sweaty clothes, or you'll catch a cold. And I swear I'm not just trying to get you naked."

Michiru just smiled slightly in response, by now knowing Haruka well enough to know that this hadn't been her intention when she had said those words, without the blonde having to point it out; the driver smiled back at her, then made her feel even better by suggesting a hot tub, for both relaxing and cleaning purposes.

"I can wash your stuff", she then added, "and you can borrow something from Minako or me for the night, not to jump to conclusions, but I guess you won't want to return home today…?"

"No", Michiru confirmed at once, the thought of returning to her home almost making her grimace, "so… if your roommate doesn't mind, I'd prefer it to stay here…"

"Of course she doesn't mind", Haruka told her at once, "she won't be home until morning, and even if she was here, it'd be okay. You're more than welcome to stay here with me."

"Well, she probably thinks I'm a crazy person, after how I acted when I arrived here", Michiru dryly said, earning a low snort from the blonde, "so she might worry for your well-being."

"Nah", the driver reassured her, "no worries. Now, make yourself comfortable while I get the tub ready, and stop worrying, okay?"

"Alright", Michiru replied with a small smile, earning another smirk and a brief kiss from the blonde; then, Haruka hurried off into the bathroom while Michiru sat down again, glancing around the apartment as she waited for the blonde to come back.

It was small, small enough to make her wonder how the two of them could live there together without constantly fighting; then, she realized that with Haruka spending so much time at the mansion and Minako working nights, it probably wasn't that much of a problem.

Even though the apartment was small, it felt cosier and more like a home than the big mansion she lived in; and as she sat waiting for Haruka to come and get her, she allowed herself a small fantasy, daydreaming about how it would be to live with the driver instead of her husband, how much happier she would be in her own home if she knew that she could just put her brush down, walk to the living room and find Haruka there on the couch, ready for kisses and snuggles and anything else they might desire.

Then, she rigorously forced those thoughts aside, telling herself that this was a useless little fantasy which could never happen; and just as she had successfully banished that domestic daydream from her mind, Haruka came back, smiling at her as she made a vague gesture towards what Michiru assumed was the bathroom.

"My lady", she then said, offering her arm with a flourish, her smile widening when the artist let out a little giggle in response, just what she had been hoping for, "your bath is ready."

"Thank you", Michiru said with another small laugh, letting Haruka lead her into the bathroom; the tub was just big enough for one, far from the luxurious big one she was used to, but steam was rising from the hot water and foam was gently wafting on it, a sweet scent of roses filling her nostrils as she got closer, and suddenly, the size of the tub didn't seem so important anymore.

"I can give you some privacy, if you'd prefer that", Haruka offered; the only response she got was that Michiru raised an eyebrow, then pulled down the zipper of her dress, smiling when it fell down to puddle around her feet and Haruka swallowed visibly in reply, sudden heat in her gaze as she took in her body, now merely clad in her rather lacy underwear.

It made her heart skip a beat, the way Haruka looked at her; before the taller woman had entered her life, others had looked upon her with a hint of lust, but none of them had displayed the burning desire she could see in Haruka's eyes, and it made her feel as if she was the only person in the world who mattered to the driver, the only one she'd ever look at like this.

"You know", she almost purred as she unclasped her bra, then slipped off her panties, with some amusement noting the flush which started to creep up Haruka's neck in response to her removal of clothing, "perhaps, we should do this at my house some time. The tub there is big enough for both of us."

She smiled when the only response Haruka could give was a terse nod, then slid into the tub; and apparently, with the foam hiding her body from view, the blonde snapped out of her stupor, clearing her throat as she moved to sit on the floor next to the tub, smiling at the content, relaxed look which showed on Michiru's features as she got comfortable.

"This feels so good", Michiru vocalized her obvious pleasure, "I didn't realize how tense I was until right now."

"What did you do, anyway", Haruka wanted to know, frowning, "no offense, but judging from how flushed and, well, sweaty you were when you came here, I thought for a moment you ran all the way from your house to here."

"Well, I did walk", the artist told her, smiling slightly again at how surprised Haruka looked in response, shrugging, giving an explanation before the taller woman had the chance to ask for one. "The driver who acts as your substitute wasn't at the car, and, as I was still quite upset, going to the room to find him didn't seem like the right thing to do."

"So you walked", Haruka stated, raising an eyebrow, "all the way from the mansion to this place, with your high heels? No surprise you were out of breath. You'll have hellishly sore muscles tomorrow."

"I am fortunate though", Michiru smiled, turning slightly so she could rest her forearms on the tub's edge, "because tomorrow, my lovely driver is back on duty, and I imagine she'll rub them better."

"You can count on that", the blonde chuckled, then leaned in for another kiss; and as their lips met again, Michiru fully forgot all her concerns and worries, fully focused on her driver, the sweetness of their kiss and how good it made her feel to just be so close to her.

* * *

Perhaps, Michiru thought to herself as she woke up early in the next morning, spending the night at Haruka's home hadn't been the wisest thing to do; she wondered if her husband had noticed that she hadn't been at home, and if he cared – or if he hadn't even noticed, unaware and uncaring where she was and what she was doing.

Then, she pushed any thoughts of him to the far back of her mind, focusing on the moment instead; Haruka's bed was much smaller than hers, built for one person and not for two, but still they had slept comfortably through the night, Michiru having awoken lying on her side with the taller woman snuggled up against her back, one arm over her waist, their legs entangled in a way which would make it quite difficult to get up without waking Haruka.

For the moment, though, she didn't want to get up, anyway; she felt way too good, enjoying Haruka's arm around her, her warm breath almost caressing her neck, the warmth of her body against hers.

As she laid there, focusing on all these sensations, she thought about how, when she had gotten married, she'd been sure she'd never have this, would never share a bed with another woman like this; she knew that things, as they were now, weren't ideal, especially after the little daydream she had allowed herself the other day, but she also knew that, for now, this was all she could ask for – and that, no matter what her husband might have said, Haruka knew this and was content with it, the reassurance that the blonde wouldn't dump her allowing her to relax as she quietly laid there, eager to enjoy every second of this closeness she could get.


	16. Words That Needed To Be Said

After he had told her that his boyfriend had broken up with him, the relationship – if it even could be called that, Michiru pondered – between her husband and her had cooled off even further; they barely spoke anymore, not more than the absolutely necessary words, but she couldn't say that it bothered her, much preferring to have her peace when she was at home, anyway, and spending the time outside of said home mostly with Haruka.

Thanks to their lack of communication, Michiru was honestly surprised when he told her that he'd be gone for a business trip for a few days; on the other hand though, she figured that it had been necessary, since otherwise, she might have gotten the idea to report him missing, if only to keep up appearances.

Her self-control made it easy for her to hide how gleeful the news that he'd be gone half the week made her; her face and voice were perfectly neutral as she nodded, then wished him a pleasant trip, earning a smile as fake as her own from him in response.

He had left early in the morning, so early that, when Michiru woke up in their shared bed, she was alone; she took her time to stretch, briefly regretting that she didn't want to let the housekeeper know about her affair with Haruka – if she'd had as little scruples about it as her husband, she simply would have rang for her and would have told her to send the blonde up to the bedroom, but, as it was, she knew that this wasn't an option.

Thus, she got out of bed and made her way to the bathroom; her gaze fell on the tub as she stepped into the shower, and she smiled to herself, remembering how she had taken a bath at Haruka's place and how she had told her that they should do this at her home some time, where the tub was big enough for both of them.

Making a mental note that her husband's absence was the perfect opportunity, Michiru showered quickly, then went through the rest of her morning routine; and when she sat down for breakfast and the housekeeper served her tea, she told the elder woman to let Haruka know that she'd need to see her in the office, right after she would be done with the meal.

Momentarily, the elder woman looked startled, an emotion she hid quickly though as she nodded; and as she scurried off to give Haruka the message, Michiru wondered if she thought that she'd fire the driver, smiling to herself as she pondered how far this was from her true intentions.

Feeling quite good about the days ahead, she finished her breakfast, then made her way to the office; usually, her husband used it for working from home, but she figured he wouldn't mind her being there, especially since she wasn't planning to stay for long.

As she waited for Haruka, she kept busy by looking at the books and binders lining the shelves; fortunately, she didn't need to wait long though, a brief knock coming from the door before it opened, Haruka stepping in moments later, cap in hand and a curious look on her face.

"Miss Tenoh", Michiru addressed her quite formally, not sure if the housekeeper was still within earshot or not, "please, do come in."

"Uhm, okay", Haruka gave back, eying her with a mix of confusion and curiousness as she entered the room; she took a moment to close the door behind herself, and the moment it had clicked shut, Michiru dropped the formal façade and smiled at her, leaning against the office desk behind her comfortably as she held the blonde's gaze.

"Sorry about the formality", she smiled while Haruka moved closer to her, "but I wasn't sure if the housekeeper is still within earshot, and I didn't want to give her any… ideas. Even though I fear I did, I think she believes I'm going to fire you."

"She just told me you need to see me and wandered off again", the taller woman let her know, now smirking, too, "and, aw, for a moment, I thought you wanted to roleplay or something."

At this, Michiru laughed, her heart skipping a beat when Haruka's smirk widened into a much kinder smile in response; she closed the gap between them with one short step, not minding that now, she had to look up at her driver, once more making good use of the tie the taller woman was wearing as she curled her fingers around it, then used it to gently pull her down, until their lips met.

"No roleplay, sorry to disappoint", she murmured after they had pulled apart again, Haruka's arms around her waist now, her hands resting tenderly on her back, "but I do have other plans you might appreciate. My dear husband is gone for a few days, so…"

"Oooh", Haruka let out, making her smile again, "well, that's a pleasant surprise."

Nodding, Michiru just wanted to suggest that they should move on to the bedroom, then, her resolution that she wouldn't take Haruka there, after chewing her husband out for doing exactly that with his special friend, for the moment forgotten; before she could do so though, Haruka suddenly tightened her hold around her, then made her let out a rather uncharacteristic and unladylike squeal by picking her up and placing her on the desk, her eyes widening as she realized where this might lead.

"Haruka", she brought out, not sure if she should giggle or feel scandalized, "here? On his desk?"

"Well, it's not like he can walk in on us", Haruka pointed out in response; despite this being true, Michiru still wanted to protest… until Haruka went down on her knees in front of her, and the sight alone was enough to make her lust skyrocket, all limitations forgotten, her heart performing another excited leap in her chest when the blonde pushed up her skirt.

"I think you are bad for my cardiovascular health", she let her driver now, briefly bracing herself against the desk so she could raise her hips, making the removal of her tights and underwear much easier; immediately, Haruka took advantage of that, and not long after that, Michiru clung to the desk, fighting hard to hold back her moans, well aware of the housekeeper and the cook in the house, barely able to handle how good what the blonde was doing to her was making her feel.

* * *

After the little adventure in the office, Michiru quickly learned that Haruka could be quite creative when it came to using furniture for their intimacy; after the office desk, there was more on the living room couch, one of the chairs in her studio, and, despite both their strength and endurance slowly waning, as an encore, the kitchen table, after Michiru had made sure they were alone in the house by telling the housekeeper and the cook that they could take the evening off.

"You were right", Haruka let her know now, hours after she had joined her in the office; by now, it had gotten dark outside, and they had retreated to the bathroom, where they had made sure they'd have a romantic atmosphere by foregoing the lights and using candles instead, both of them in the big tub now, Michiru leaning comfortably against the taller woman, absent-mindedly playing with the foam the bubble bath Haruka had insisted on had created.

"That really was a good idea", she added for clarification, making the artist smile; and again, just like back at Haruka's apartment, she found herself wondering what her life would be like if she could have this every day, and not just when her husband wasn't around, how much happier she might be then.

"I'm glad you enjoy it", she let Haruka know, then sat up and turned so she could face her, pushing all domestic daydreams aside, telling herself she didn't want to let them and how unrealistic they were ruin her good mood, "I've always found baths to be quite relaxing."

"Indeed", the blonde solemnly agreed, earning another smile from the artist, "and I know something else which is quite relaxing, too."

Michiru raised an inquiring eyebrow in response, and, after giving her a brief smirk, Haruka showed her what exactly she meant – by leaning forward and capturing her lips in a slow and tender kiss, a stark contrast to the hungry, passionate ones they had shared before, during the activities in the house, a soft sigh escaping the smaller woman as she practically could feel her heart swell.

As she pulled back from the kiss, she once again found herself struggling with this one certain feeling, one she hadn't dared to put a name to so far, despite how well things were developing between Haruka and her; and just like back then, when she had lost all self-control in Haruka's room and had blurted out the question if she liked her, she found herself unable to control the way this feeling flooded her this time, saying the words before she could stop herself.

"I love you", she let Haruka know, barely managing to speak louder than a whisper; it was the first time, she realized, that she said this to anyone, and her heart skipped a beat as she waited in breathless silence to see how Haruka would react, if it had been too early, had gone too far, spoke of something bigger than the taller woman was willing to share with her.

For a few seconds, Haruka just held her gaze, clearly surprised, not having expected this at all; and just when the silence became too much, when Michiru wanted to say something, perhaps try something silly like saying "I take it back", she suddenly smiled, so wide and happy that it made the artist's heart clench up.

"I love you, too", Haruka let her know, not much louder than she had spoken, "and I'm kinda glad you said it first. I'd been wanting to, for a while, but I'm a big wuss, so…"

At this, Michiru giggled, suddenly feeling giddy and light-headed; shaking her head as both a reaction to Haruka's words and in an attempt to clear it, she fought to get herself under control again, then kissed the taller woman once more, determined to make the best of the days they'd still have together, knowing that this time of carefree togetherness in the house was limited, but not caring anymore, not after the words they just had exchanged and after how good hearing them had made her feel.


	17. This Is How A Heart Breaks

Two weeks had passed since Michiru had told her that she loved her, and she had reassured her that she felt the same; and by now, Haruka knew that Minako was getting quite annoyed with her, telling her that the constant state of happiness she had been floating around in was getting difficult to stomach.

Still, she couldn't help herself, but just had to be chipper and happy; when she had started that job, she never had expected something like this to happen, never would have thought that she'd end up in love with her employer, and surely hadn't dared to hope that said employer would feel the same for her.

Every now and then, the not so nice part of her mind, the part which, earlier in her life, had driven her to the bottle, chimed in, telling her that she should enjoy it while it lasted and that surely, she couldn't be this happy forever; she always shushed that part quietly though, determined to make the best of it for as long as it would last.

"I swear, you are the only person in the world who's this happy that their day over is off", Minako grumbled at her as she got ready for another day as Michiru's driver, "you better take care, or all that happiness will bloat you up like helium and you'll hit your head on the ceiling."

"My driver's cap will protect me", Haruka replied, unimpressed by her best friend's grouchiness, "and if not, Michiru will kiss it better. Also, stop grumping at me, you're just jealous."

"Yeah, jealous of being a giant sap, right", Minako snorted, unable to put a dent in Haruka's good mood though, "dream on. Well, have a good day and drive safely and don't let anyone catch you having sex in the back of that limo."

"You have a good shift", Haruka gave back, deciding not to comment on her last bit of advice; she grinned happily at her once more, then left the apartment, whistling a happy tune to herself as she got into her car and started the engine, barely able to wait to get to the mansion and see Michiru again.

As she drove, she hoped that Michiru would have many errands to run today; since she knew that the artist didn't like driving with the substitute the agency sent whenever she had a day off, she figured that there'd be quite a bit to do, and surely, they'd find an hour or two they could spend together, in some quiet spot or maybe at Michiru's favourite place, the pier.

Thinking of the pier brought up an idea Haruka had had a while ago, for the artist's birthday; after Michiru had told her about her love for the ocean, she figured that taking her out on a little boat trip might be a nice idea, and she made a mental note to check for the possibilities – and to find out about Michiru's birthday, simultaneously hoping that her husband wouldn't demand to spend that day with her so they could keep up appearances.

After what Michiru had told her though, she figured that this was unlikely to happen – her relationship with her husband hadn't been the best even before his boyfriend had broken up with him, and only had cooled off since then, the man by now barely bothering to greet her, hardly ever saying more than two or three words to her even when they were in the same room together, as rarely as that happened in the big house.

All those thoughts kept her busy until she arrived at the mansion; she parked on one of the spaces at the back, for the employees, then got out and made her way inside, just finishing the change into her driver's uniform when the door to her little room opened and the housekeeper poked her head in.

"Mrs Kaioh wants to see you in the office", she let the taller blonde know, making her raise an eyebrow and forcing her to hold back a smirk as she wondered if this meant that the man of the house was on yet another business trip, remembering well what had happened in that office the last time Michiru had asked her to join her there.

She let out a vaguely agreeing noise, this being enough for the elder woman as she smiled and retreated; Haruka still made sure that she was properly dressed, even though the clothes might be gone again soon, then made her way to the office, smiling happily already before she pushed the door open.

"Haruka", Michiru greeted her, standing at her husband's desk again… but this time, Haruka noted at once, she stood behind it instead of in front of it, as if to create a barrier between them, and along with that realization came, a bit belatedly, the fact that something had been different about the way Michiru had said her name, even though she couldn't quite put her finger on it.

"You wanted to see me?" she still smiled, moving closer to the desk, only to stop when Michiru gave her a cold look, one she never would have expected to see directed her way.

"Yes", the artist confirmed, and as she spoke on, Haruka could pinpoint what was wrong, her blood suddenly running cold as she tried to figure out what was going on and what all of this might mean, "but I will not keep you for long. I'm going to be blunt – your services are no longer needed."

Indifference, Haruka now realized, this was what was different – whenever Michiru had spoken to her before, she had sounded caring and warm, but now, all of the warmth was gone, only a cold indifference left, chilling her to the bone.

"What", she brought out, confused, not knowing where this was coming from – things had been so fine just the day before her day off, her mind reeling, prompting her to say the first thing which popped up in her brain, even though it was far from appropriate, "I don't get it, are you trying to roleplay now cause I asked about that the last time we were in here?"

"I can assure you that this is not a game", Michiru replied, her voice growing so cold that Haruka almost expected ice crystals to form on her lips, "as I said, your services here are no longer needed. I imagine the agency will find another client for you."

"Michiru, what", Haruka started, only to hear how close her voice was to cracking, and thus stopping, swallowing heavily before she continued, "what's going on? Things were fine just the day before yesterday, why are you…"

"I don't think I have to explain myself to you", Michiru sharply told her, crossing her arms over her chest, forming yet another barrier between them, as if the desk wasn't enough, "but, since you seem to be so eager to hear reasons, fine. I've decided it's time to find myself a companion more… suitable to my station. The time with you was quite nice, but, frankly, your blue collar charm lasted only for so long, it is time to find someone closer to my level of class and education."

Each word was like a punch in Haruka's gut, and she found it strangely hard to breathe by the time Michiru had finished; for a few seconds, all she could do was stare, while Michiru held her gaze, unimpressed by the pain in the taller woman's eyes.

"You said you love me", Haruka finally brought out, hating the tremble in her voice, hating how weak she sounded, but unable to change it; in response, Michiru flipped her hair back, the perfect picture of arrogant uncaring, somehow managing to sound even colder when she replied. "Ah, yes, those words, so important to so many. Surely you've noticed by now that I'm good with words, haven't you."

Swallowing heavily, Haruka found herself unable to say anything; part of her still hoped that Michiru would start smiling any moment, and tell her that it had been just a stupid joke, and would then realize that she had hurt her, truly had hurt her, and would apologize… but the other part, the nasty part, told her not to wait for this, that Michiru was dead serious and that none of this was any sort of joke.

"You may keep the watch, and the clothes I paid for", Michiru told her, suddenly finding some papers on the desk much more interesting than looking at her, "I imagine they will be useful for your next client, whoever they might be. That would be all."

For a few more heartbeats, Haruka just kept staring at her, willing at her to say something, to tell her that she hadn't been serious; Michiru didn't even look up at her again though, and so, she just turned and left the office after a while, making sure to pull the door shut behind her quietly, the sound of the latch awfully loud in the quiet corridor.

Feeling oddly dazed, Haruka walked away from the office, dully wondering why her chest felt so heavy all at once and why her stomach was so queasy; she told herself not to throw up, that this would ruin the expensive carpet, then wondered why this seemed important to her, after all, she would never set foot in this house again.

 _Your blue collar charm lasted only so long_ , she heard Michiru whisper in the far back of her mind, where she usually tried to keep all the dark thoughts, _time to find someone more closer to my level of class and education._

 _She used you_ , the nasty voice whispered, inappropriately gleeful, _all this time she used you, and made you believe that there was more to it. You're such a fool, always have been and always will be._

Still feeling as if she was walking through a bad dream, she made her way to her little room – a little room, that mean, malicious voice found it necessary to correct, not hers anymore – and collected what few belongings she had there; she had no bag or box for it, but it wasn't much, anyway, just a change of clothes and a few books, things she could easily carry as she, still dazed, walked back to the car.

When she reached her car, the full enormity of what just had happened hit her, and she had to pause, the books and clothes dropping to the ground as she found it difficult to breathe all at once; her vision blurred as tears filled her eyes, and she squeezed them shut, telling herself that she wouldn't do this, that she wouldn't cry on the estate of the woman who had just ripped her heart out and then had stomped on it.

A few deep breaths helped her to fight the tears back, but they left something else in their stead, a burning thirst she hadn't felt for so long; she knew that she shouldn't give in to it, that one glass would be enough to send her back down a road she had left behind years ago, but the thirst was so strong, and she knew that she wouldn't be able to ignore it, not in the long run.

 _Might as well get wasted_ , she bitterly thought to herself as she unlocked the car, _that's all I'm good for. Getting drunk and getting used by a bored rich woman, and being stupid enough to think she felt for me._

After another deep breath, Haruka collected her belongings, then tossed them onto the backseat, not caring that the clothes got rumpled; she got into the car and drove off without looking back, suddenly just eager to find the next bar which didn't have a barkeep she knew so she could drown the pain, unable to get the things Michiru had said out of her head, hoping that alcohol would take them away along with the dull ache in her heart.

She drove off without looking back at the mansion once… and so, she never spotted Michiru standing at one of the windows, watching her drive away, one hand covering her mouth to hold the sobs back while the other clutched a crumpled photo, tears rolling down her cheeks.


End file.
